


The Dark Kelp Liquor Diaries

by Superster



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra, Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Angst, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Porn with Feelings, Tokka - Freeform, Toph and Sokka forever
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-30
Updated: 2020-10-14
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:46:55
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 25,293
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24994858
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Superster/pseuds/Superster
Summary: “I brought back some really fantastic dark kelp liquor from the South Pole," Sokka said. "Can’t get it anywhere else. There’s not enough to share with everyone, so don’t tell Aang and Katara, but it’s no fun to drink alone. You could come over and we could get drunk and you can fill me in on all the city gossip I’ve missed...if you want."Toph let herself smile, now. A sex date, then. Good.Or, after two years apart from each other, Toph has a date with Sokka and she doesn't know what to do with her feelings. What could possibly happen?Tokka, angst with a happy(?) ending, eventual smut.
Relationships: Toph Beifong & Sokka, Toph Beifong/Sokka
Comments: 55
Kudos: 215





	1. Overhearing

Sitting in her office in Republic City, listening to her secretary read out loud today’s endless stack of messages and letters, Toph Beifong hated what she’d become. She hated the muggy coastal air wafting in through her open window, she hated people’s endless reliance on goddamn pieces of goddamn paper that she couldn’t read, and she hated that for every minute she had to sit listening to messages about “new council regulations for annual budgeting” and so-and-so’s request for the promotion of their son was another minute she wasn’t intercepting an actual criminal. But mostly she hated the mundanity of it all. Of clean and practical stone furnishings that she felt every day, of her secretary’s friendly greeting in the mornings, of the same three food carts whose smells filled the road in front of the station. It was simple, and wholesome, and consistent, and she  _ hated _ it.

Who’d have guessed that after getting basically everything she’d ever wanted, after teaching Aang and winning the war, that she’d miss the days of living on the road, scrounging for supplies, arguing with Katara, and constantly in danger of being captured or killed by the fire nation? Those days were hard, and scary, but they were also  _ free _ . No rules, no expectations, no political dramas. Life in Republic City was good. She had a spacious ground-floor apartment downtown, a department of officers under her command that even she had to admit were not too pathetic  _ most _ of the time, and she had Lin. Beautiful, startling, incredible Lin. Lin was like warm sunlight in a time when Toph had thought the world was only getting colder again.

But except for when she thought about her daughter, Toph constantly felt this itch under her skin. The sameness, the order, the stress of running-- no,  _ creating  _ from  _ scratch _ the first-ever police department for the first-ever unaffiliated city in the history of the  _ world _ ...it made her want to leave in the middle of the night, to take Lin and go feel the world under her feet again.

“...give Lin all my love, and I can’t wait to see you! Signed, Katara of the Southern Water Tribe.” Toph was pulled from her thoughts as the secretary finished a letter, and there was a rustle as he went to pick up another one.

“Wait, Jee. Go back.” she said. “Read that one over again.”

There was a pause and another rustle, but Jee had the decorum not to sigh at the request. “Yes Chief. A message from Air Temple Island, delivered this morning by messenger hawk.” he began, slipping into the rhythmic voice he used while reading, the one that could put Toph right to sleep after a long day on the streets.

“Dearest Toph, Tenzin’s 5th birthday is tomorrow, and we are holding a small celebration in his honor. Aang and I would be honored if you and Lin would attend. The party will be late afternoon, and there will be plenty of activities for the children so that the adults can enjoy themselves as well. Please send a hawk back with your response. Give Lin all my love, and I can’t wait to see you! Signed, Katara of the Southern Water Tribe.”

Jee closed the scroll. “Would you like me to compose a response right away?”

Toph gave a small laugh. “You’d think after 20 years of friendship Sugar Queen would stop sending me written letters, but I guess some things never change.” She felt Jee shift, he was smiling too.

Toph stood up from her desk, and walked over to the window. Through the stone floor she could feel large crowds of people in nearby streets leaving their shops and businesses, and the officers in the bullpen of the station were starting to rise from their desks to switch with the incoming evening shift. The work day was over. “No thanks, Jee. On my way home I’ll take a trip out to the island and answer Katara myself.”

Jee made a small humming noise. Toph assumed he was looking over the still-unread messages in the pile on her desk. She always put off letter-reading until the end of the day, much to Jee’s chagrin. It was partially because she loathed it so much, but also because sometimes she got lucky and the work day was done before they’d finished, so if she wanted to she didn’t have to listen to them all and could just go home. It was a childish reason, but she still thrilled at the little victory over responsibility.

But...

She sighed, and half-smiled. “If you’re willing to work a little overtime Googles, let’s tackle the rest of those letters before I go.”

Regardless of her feelings, letters had to be read. Responses had to be drafted. She was the greatest earthbender in the world, Chief of Police in Republic City, and responsibility was her job. She’d be damned if she didn’t do it correctly.

She settled back into her desk chair as Jee, relief apparent in his voice, started in on the next message.

\---

A full hour later (Oma and  _ Shu _ she hated letters) Toph walked with purpose towards the ferry station. Still in her uniform, citizens moved out of her way as she passed. Toph felt a surge of pride that despite the domesticities of full-time employment and motherhood she was still feared and admired by people who knew better. Chief of Police was almost better than being the Blind Bandit. Almost. 

Although she couldn’t see eyes, she’d learned how to sense when others looked at her. A stutter in a step, a rotation of the body as she went by. Time had made her taller since her Earth Rumble days, but not much. Compared to her friends she was still the shortest by nearly a head. But where youth had left her slender, adulthood and a lifetime of bending had filled in with strength. Toph had felt her arms, she knew they were impressive. She knew her shoulders were broad for her height and her legs were sculpted and toned. Men admired her stomach in bed, muscled and flat again thanks to Katara’s healing after Lin was born. They also admired her breasts, which had not been small before pregnancy and had grown even further. This was more of an annoyance than anything else, but day-to-day Toph kept them bound close and tight where they wouldn’t interfere with the athletic aspects of her work and bending her metal breastplate a little larger wasn’t really a problem. Her uniform was impressive, too. The sharp lines of well-oiled plate armor that moved silently as she walked cut an imposing figure and stood out from the fabric and fur and leather silhouettes of the townspeople.

She walked onto the pier and approached the ferry ticket office, cutting to the front of the line.

“Good evening Chief Beifong,” the ticket lady said pleasantly. “Are you heading to Air Temple Island this evening?” Toph taking the ferry after work and on her days off was not an uncommon occurrence. The ticket lady’s tone always reminded Toph of the Joo Dees in old Ba Sing Se, but she ignored that.

A few of the people Toph cut in line grumbled unhappily. She ignored them too. “Yes, I am. When does the next one leave?”

Toph could feel the woman tilting her head, probably smiling. Toph returned the look with her usual stony expression. “I’m very sorry Chief Beifong,” the woman said sweetly, “the last ferry to Air Temple Island left 40 minutes ago, at sunset. It should be arriving back shortly with its last passengers. As I’m sure you know, if you’d like to come back tomorrow our services to Air Temple Island will resume at an hour after sunrise.”

That damn head tilt again. Toph ground her bare heel on the stone underneath her, hidden by the tops of her fake boots. She considered shouting, throwing around her credentials. She also briefly entertained the thought of encasing Ferry Joo Dee in an earth pyramid and leaving her there until ‘services resume tomorrow.’

But no. She ground her teeth. She was Chief of Police, and above all of that.

She really,  _ really _ wished she wasn’t.

Not giving the ticket lady the satisfaction of a reply, Toph turned on her heel and stalked away.

This was fine. She needed to get home to Lin anyway. Not that Huiyin would be having any trouble, the live-in nanny put Lin to bed by herself many times when Toph was working late, but most days Toph liked to hear about Lin’s day at school and spend a little time with her before bedtime. She  _ had _ been looking forward to visiting the island though, and giving Katara a (mostly friendly) piece of her mind regarding paper invitations to parties. And seeing Aang who was usually home after a long day of Important Avatar Work. Mostly though, she felt the familiar annoyance at being told what to do, or what she  _ couldn’t do _ .

As she walked back down the stone pier, she felt how seamlessly the pillars were earthbent into the floor of the bay. Beautiful work. Not as good as hers, but comforting in the way great bending always was. Great bending.

She smirked to herself.

She dropped into a stance and  _ shoved _ . Water rushed and moved, and people nearby scrambled to get out of the way of the displaced wave, but Toph was already gone, riding a wave of earth over the newly-bent stone path through the bay to Air Temple Island.

As she surged forward she destroyed the path behind her into big, splashy slabs that fell into the water, and a particularly grating  _ shriek _ told her that the ticket office had been soaked. Toph’s smirk turned into a full grin.

Being above things was for  _ airbenders _ .

\---

On the beach of the island, Toph wiggled her toes in the sand. Twisting her feet to anchor them, she bent the last of her pathway back down to the floor of the bay. No sense in leaving an unsecured pathway directly to the Avatar’s home and young children.

She adjusted the pieces of her bun that had come loose from her trip, and grimaced at the salt spray that had dampened her hair and uniform on the way. 

She turned and bent herself up the sheer volcanic cliff that was the back wall of the beach, reaching the top with the temple in a few short moments. As she walked towards the main building, she reached out with her seismic senses and felt the movements of the small air bison herd on the other side of the island, and various other animals that called the place home. Appa was resting peacefully in his open-air stable, which meant Aang was home. Looking at the other side of the island always gave her some trouble, and she frowned in concentration. Volcanic rock was...echoey. All edges and facets. Even with a cushion of soil and plants on top it gave her a jarring picture, and it made smaller vibrations harder to catch. Combined with the dulling effects of the water all around, her ‘eyes’ were fuzzy on the solid ground and they stopped a few frustrating meters from shoreline.

Thankfully Aang had constructed the temple and courtyard out of traditional stone, so when inside and nearby her feet could see them clearly. It made visiting bearable. As Toph neared the main door she felt for a quick inventory of where everyone was. It was after sunset, so the kids were in bed in their rooms, although Bumi seemed to be awake and sitting up. Maybe reading? Kya and Tenzin were fast asleep and Amka, Katara’s housekeeper and chef, had retired to her own apartments in the rear wing of the complex. Katara and Aang were in their room against one of the walls, moving togethe--

Oh.

Toph stopped in her tracks.

Well.

She turned around, back towards the cliffs. Bad timing. She should have known better than to show up unannounced after the kids were in bed. She’d been planning to ask for a ride back to the mainland on Appa but no matter, she’d just bend back the way she came. She’d have Jee compose a message back to Katara first thing tomorrow morning, and her friends would never know she’d been there.

Toph’s feet crunched softly on the gravel of the path as she walked back to the edge of the cliffs to descend back to the beach. Wiith luck, tonight Lin might have procrastinated her bedtime with Huiyin and would still be awake when Toph got home. She smiled at the thought. Lost in her thoughts and hurry to leave, she was startled by a person ascending the path from the beach, closer than she would normally have noticed had it not been for the cursed lava stones. She whipped her head around, listening.

Footsteps ( _ Boots. Heavy, long stride. Male.)  _ crunched their way towards her. It was after dark, Aang and Katara clearly weren’t expecting visitors. Toph’s mind immediately ran through the possibilities.

_ Yakone, or one of his men.  _ The crime boss was getting stronger and stronger every passing year, to her endless chagrin. But she didn’t think he’d be so stupid as to send a lone agent to the Avatar’s home in the early evening.

_ A tourist who didn’t board the last ferry back to the mainland. _ Possible, although not likely. Tickets were always round-trip, and the ferry captain was a trustworthy woman who was diligent about loading and reloading the same number of passengers every time. But a motivated person could still slip through.

_ Someone else. An unknown threat. _ The most likely option. Toph was no stranger to unpleasant surprises.

There was a small bend in the path that would currently be obscuring her from view but the stranger was nearly around it. Sunset wasn’t that long ago so there was probably some light still in the sky, although she hoped it wasn’t much. If it came down to a fight her uniform would make her harder for a seeing person to track in the dark.

Toph listened, and waited.

As the stranger rounded the bend in the path, she stepped and  _ lifted _ . Earth sprang from the ground on all sides of the man and pinned him immobile up to his neck. She readied her stance for a responding push of bending.

“I’m Chief Beifong of the Republic City Police, and you’re under arrest for trespassing. State your name and nationality.” she spoke firmly, but quietly.

She heard him gasp in shock.

“TOPH?” an unmistakable voice, cutting through her concentration like a water-whip through meadow-grass.

“Sokka??”

She came to herself enough to push the earth back down. A rush of footsteps and then she was swept up into a hug that ripped her feet off the ground and plunged her into darkness.

“Spirits, Toph!! It’s so good to see you!! I had no idea you’d be on the island, are you living here now too?”

“Down. Feet.” she ground out between her teeth, as the air was lovingly crushed from her lungs. She flicked a wrist and bent a short pillar underneath Sokka’s boots, throwing him off balance. He stumbled and let her go, and her feet found spirits-blessed ground again.

Undeterred, he reached for her again to continue the hug, but this time she sidestepped him and punched him in the arm,  _ hard _ . Metal glove and all.

“Ow!” He held his shoulder, and kept his distance this time. His smile was big enough she could  _ hear  _ it. “Man, I never thought I’d miss your punches but that one took me  _ right _ back.”

“Sokka, what the fuck.”

“Hello to you too.”

She shook her head. “I thought you were someone coming after Aang or Katara or the kids!”

He laughed, deeply and easily. “Well for half a second I thought I was going to die in an earthbending ambush at my famous brother-in-law’s fancy island temple, so I guess we’re both pleasantly surprised to be wrong.”

She flexed her toes and took a second to feel him, proximity helping her see clearly. He was wearing thick traveller’s boots, and the soles were worn down from heavy use. He had a pack and bedroll on the ground nearby that he’d dropped when he’d went to hug her. He was thinner than the last time she’d seen him, leaner, but his stance and posture and heartbeat felt strong and healthy.

“What are you doing on the island?” he asked. “Did Aang and Katara have you over for dinner tonight?”

“What am I doing here? It’s been nearly 2 years since you last visited. What are  _ you _ doing here?”

“Spirits, has it really been that long?”

She walked past him and picked up his pack from off the ground. “Yes, you were here for Lin’s third birthday and that was the last time we all saw you.” She felt the shape of it. It was larger and heavier than the light loads Sokka usually preferred to travel with.

He whistled a little. “You’re right. Two years, wow. Man, I can’t wait to see that kiddo again. Uncle Sokka’s brought her some truly spectacular presents if I do say so myself, and I bet she’s grown a whole foot since I saw her last.” He walked over and took his pack from her, slinging it over one shoulder. She felt him turn to look up at the temple at the center of the island behind them. “Speaking of which,” he said brightly, “I have three little niblings to see who have probably grown just as much, a sister and brother-in-law to surprise, and I’m starving so I’d love to look for any sea prunes Katara might have left lying around in the house. It’s getting pretty dark out here, let’s continue catching up inside the temple. I’m sure Aang and Katara wouldn’t mind you staying a little bit later.” He took a step up the path.

Toph’s eyes widened as she suddenly remembered why she’d been leaving the temple in the first place.

“Wait!” She grabbed his arm to stop him.

A hint of concern entered his voice. “What is it, Toph?”

She considered the best way to tell him. “Let’s just say if you went up there now, you’d  _ really _ surprise them.”

He was serious, now. “Toph, what is it? Is there something going on? Is anyone in danger?”

_ How sad, _ she thought bemusedly,  _ that even 20 years after the war we all still assume the worst every time. Just like I did when he was walking up the path. _

“No,” she said matter-of-factly, “they’re just enjoying each other’s company at the moment.”

There was an awkward pause as Sokka got it.

“...Ah. I see.” he said, finally.

“Yep.” She realized she was still holding his arm in her hand, and quickly let it go. “I got off work late tonight and was on my way to visit when I realized what they were up to, so I decided to leave and come back another time. That’s when I ran into you.”

“Makes sense, can’t blame you there I...” he stopped himself. “Wait. Did you...hear them?”

She folded her arms over her chest. “Technically I felt them. A stone temple carries vibrations very well.”

Sokka’s response was slightly horrified. “Does this happen...often?”

“Look,” Toph continued, “I see things using  _ vibrations _ in the  _ ground _ . At quite an impressive range, I might add. Great for Earth Rumbles and avoiding Fire Nation ambushes, but a side effect is that I overhear a lot of sex. At this point in my life I’m very used to it. We’re all adults, it’s not a big deal. Although,” she smirked, “part of getting used to it involved doing my best to ignore your canoodling with Suki when we all used to travel together.”

Sokka chuckled, with genuine mirth, and his stance relaxed. She heard the smile return to his voice. “You know, that feels like a lifetime ago and yet I’m still extremely happy that you didn’t tell me until now. Teenage me would have been so mortified at you hearing us that I probably would have just let Azula barbecue me to avoid facing you ever again!”

She laughed with him, this time. It felt good. Joking around with Sokka was like wearing her favorite cloak, the one that fit just right and warmed her chest. Right now though, that warmth had a twinge of pain in it.

“Well,” she said brusquely, suddenly eager to leave again, “give them a little while before you head up to the temple and you should be good. I’m going home. It’s great that you’re back, Sokka. We should do lunch in the city sometime before you leave again.”

She turned on her heel.

He grabbed  _ her _ arm, this time. “Hey, not so fast.” His hand was gentle, and so warm she could feel it through her armor. “At this hour Lin’s probably in bed already, right? And Huiyin’s there?”

Toph paused. “Yes,” she admitted.

“Like you said,” Sokka continued, “I have to kill some time before going up to the temple. Why don’t we find a bench under a tree somewhere and we can keep catching up while I wait? Anything to distract me from thinking about the love-sparrowkeets I’m waiting  _ for _ . And then once you use your feet-sense to give us the all-clear you can come up to the house and say hi, and get something to eat before you go.”

She hesitated. She did actually want to get home to her apartment, and her bed, and Lin’s tiny toddler-snores. And she didn’t necessarily want to make small-talk with Aang and Katara so soon after hearing them doing each other. But, Sokka was her friend. And she was interested in grilling him about his time away. And coming home a little bit later wasn’t going to make a difference...

“Fine.” she conceded. “But only until you’re ready to head up there, I’m not going to stick around after that.”

He let go of her arm, happy. “Deal.”

\---

She picked a stone bench a short walk away that was a little ways back from a cliff edge, and led the way. Its location meant it probably had a beautiful view overlooking the bay. By now the sky had to be completely dark but based on her own cycle Toph knew it was a few days shy of a full moon, and judging by the way Sokka didn’t have any trouble picking his way around rocks and shrubs to get to the bench, she was pretty certain there was enough light for him to see by.

The bench was bent out of a beautiful piece of quartz that was a sharp contrast to the volcanic rock it sat on. It was smooth and solid with a curved back and graceful armrests that were decorated with embossed air symbols and cloud shapes. Toph sat down and ran her fingers over them, admiring the craftsmanship.

Sokka dropped his pack and stretched, groaning theatrically. He plopped down on the bench next to her and whistled softly. “Spirits, that’s beautiful. Say what you will about airbenders, but they have great taste in beautiful views.”

“Eh, it’s not that great.” Toph quipped. “I’ve seen better.”

He laughed, and she smiled. “I’m sure you have, Chief. I’m sure you have.” he said, leaning back and stretching out his long legs. “All right, how long do you think we’ve got until they’re, you know, done?”

She grimaced. “It’s hard to see the details from this far away because volcanic rock is finicky, but they’re definitely still in the thick of things.”

She heard him grimacing back, but his tone was thoughtful. “You know, you can put your feet up here so you don’t have to listen to that the whole time while we’re waiting. I’ll keep an eye out for anything dangerous.”

Toph paused. She hated having her feet off the ground, but the bench was stone so even with her feet up she could still see Sokka. And it’s true that she didn’t want to feel Aang and Katara on the edges of her sight for who-knew-how-long. Her ingrained paranoia flared briefly, and she considered the possibility of an ambush...but they weren’t at war anymore. Life was different now. And she trusted Sokka to be alert and aware, for all his teasing and lightheartedness he was still a warrior, a veteran, a brilliant leader, and her best friend.

“Alright Snoozles, but no falling asleep at the helm. I don’t want to be surprised by a bunch of baby flying bison licking the back of my head.” He chuckled in response as she kicked off her bottomless boots and swung her legs up onto the bench. It was small enough that she couldn’t quite fit on her own side unless she curled up really tight, so she reached her feet across and rested her legs on Sokka’s lap. He didn’t seem surprised at the familiarity, and she didn’t feel weird about it. This was his idea.

She wiggled her toes, enjoying the feeling of having her knee-high boots off and the breeze rustling the fabric on her legs. Her senses were mostly dark, but the stone of the bench against her back and around her body gave her a comfortable view of herself and Sokka, and she could still hear the sounds of the ocean and the wind and the peaceful nighttime noises of living things. And, thank spirits, she couldn’t feel the couple in the temple anymore. Not even a rustle.

One of Sokka’s arms stretched along the back of the bench, and his other hand came to rest just above her ankle. “That’s probably a lot better.” he said.

“You’re right, it is.” she admitted. His hand was large and warm where it fit over her leg, and she thought she could almost feel his heartbeat through the fabric of her trousers. If he was touching her directly, she definitely would. She’d feel his heartbeat, and if he moved his hand she’d feel the callouses on his fingers on her skin... 

Oma and Shu. What the fuck. She pushed the thoughts away as quickly as she could, startled. If a hand on her ankle was giving her thoughts like that, she desperately needed a date. When was the last time she’d had sex? A couple months ago, maybe? There’d been that travelling merchant she’d met at a bar by her apartment, but that was a while ago. She’d hit up her off-and-on friend with benefits, Botan, first thing tomorrow morning and set a date to relieve some tension. Sokka had barely been back in town for half an hour, and she didn’t need horny teenage thoughts causing problems. Sure, she was attracted to Sokka. She had been since puberty, really. But they were adults, and friends, and she’d spent 20 years ignoring that attraction so she wasn’t going to start humoring it now.

She was shaken out of her reverie by the man in question sighing dramatically. “I swear sometimes you’d think they were still newly married the way they are together. It’s indecent, really.” he said.

Right, that’s why they were here. Waiting for their friends who were actually getting some regularly. Toph couldn’t help but feel a little jealous.

“Yes, two married people who love each other having sex in their own home after their children have gone to bed. Indecent, that’s how I’d describe it.” she joked.

“Hey! That’s still my sister and my friend we’re talking about, I don’t know if I’ll ever not be weirded out by the idea of them having sex.”

“You’re just jealous, I bet you haven’t had a good lay in weeks. Travelling from the South Pole takes a lot longer when you don’t have a flying bison to ride.”

Toph felt herself slip back into the familiar banter, the tease and the back-and-forth. Talking to Sokka was easy, always had been.

He feigned hurt feelings, hand against his chest. “Toph! You cut me to the core! It’s actually been  _ months _ , because helping your grumpy elderly dad retire from his position as Chief of the Southern Water Tribe and supervising the council’s election of his replacement is actually very bad for dating. Not to mention the fact that even though the tribe is doing incredible these days and there are many transplant families from the North, there’s very few people our age. Sort of a gapped generation because of the war, I think.”

Hmm. Months for him, too. Poor guy.

He turned, and she felt him looking at her. “I really wish you could see it, you know. It looks nothing like the village I grew up in, it’s a real tribe with hundreds of families and buildings, proper buildings. We even have a few satellite villages now, along the glacier. So many people that they want to live away from each other! Absolutely amazing.”

Toph folded her arms, feeling a little defensive. “I’m blind on ice. Actually blind. Even if I visited I wouldn't be able to see it, and I can’t just pick up and move away from the city like you did. I have a life here.”

He was quiet at that, and shifted in his seat.

She felt a twinge of guilt, so she brushed past that topic and kept going. “So what are you doing back here, anyway? How long are you visiting? And how did you get to the island? The ferry had stopped for the night before I bent myself over here, and you arrived after me. Did you pick up waterbending in the South Pole?”

She felt his shoulders relax. “No,” he began, “I just had my chartered ship drop me directly here on its way to dock at the mainland. I actually sent Katara a messenger hawk weeks ago telling her I was coming, but I’m here a bit earlier than she probably expected thanks to spirits-blessed winds nearly the whole way.”

“And actually,” he continued, and his thumb started rubbing a small, distracting circle on her ankle, “I’m not just here to visit. I’m moving back.”

Toph sat up straighter in surprise, and Sokka’s thumb stopped moving. “What?” she said, happy but amazed. “You’re moving back?”

He nodded. “Even though dad wanted me to stay, I couldn’t justify staying in the Southern Water Tribe any longer after everything was settled with the new chief. I couldn’t have imagined that the process would have taken over two years when I left, but the tribe hasn’t had a new chief since before I was born so there was so much to be done, and we had nearly a year of council meetings just to choose who it would be before any transition could begin. For the record, I think Kanaaq is an excellent choice, and will do a great job. His plans for a continued growth model are absolutely fascinating...”

Toph tuned him out a bit as he went on a political tangent, but she always admired the way he cared about leadership, and how excited he got about theory, and strategy, and legislation. As Chief of Police and a member of the Beifong family Toph was no stranger to politics, and she knew how to work a room of committee members and nobles for favors and information. But she found the intricacies of lawmaking and economics and logistics incredibly tedious and dull. Sokka, on the other hand, was  _ passionate _ about them, and watching him grow from teenage war strategist to adult politician had been like feeling her favorite apple-peach seedling back home grow from a sapling into a beautiful fruit-bearing tree with deep, water-filled roots. His time in the Southern Water Tribe had apparently only made him nerdier, which warmed her chest pleasantly.

“...so my plan is to run for city council, and hopefully implement some of the strategies in our own economy, just on a larger scale. Cool, right?”

“Very cool.” Toph replied, as though she’d paid attention. Sokka being home full-time was great news, and if he was going to be on the council then with her work for the police they’d see quite a bit of each other. She wasn’t sad about that. Sitting on this bench with him, the world quiet around them, she felt incredibly peaceful and relaxed.

“You know,” his voice went soft and low, thoughtful. His thumb resumed the little circles on her ankle and she was distracted again. “I’ve missed you, while I’ve been gone. More than a little. It’s nice to spend time with you again. Really nice. It’d be great to see you more often, if we find the time.”

Oh. The tone of his voice and the way he moved his hand brought a sudden charge to the air. This was no longer just two old friends catching up. His posture was still casual, only the phrasing and his voice and the way he gently touched her leg told her what was really going on. He was asking questions, carefully feeling out her interest, all-too-aware of the history of their long friendship.

Toph had always been attracted to Sokka. And if she was being honest with herself, she knew that he had a thing for her too. She wasn’t born yesterday, and over the years she knew exactly how to read his heartbeat, his tones, his teasing, and even his lust. But the timing was never right. He’d been with Suki, happily, for years. And she had her metalbending school, and then all the craziness of founding the police force, and then she was with Kanto for a while until Lin came along. The years passed one after the other, and things just never happened between her and Sokka. And that was okay. She had accepted a life of mutual attraction where their lives would keep them forever circling each other. But if he was moving back full-time, and wanted to keep seeing her, and he could be convinced to move his hand higher…

Well before that thought continued, she needed more information.

“I’d enjoy that.” she said, keeping her voice deliberately casual, playing as though she hadn’t noticed the sudden tension. 

He shifted a little, intrigued or pleased, but also playing it cool. 

“Of course,” she continued, “I’m really busy with work. And Lin, of course. But hey, I can always make time for my best friend and his wolftail. If you send a message to my office I’ll get Jee to add you to my calendar for lunch next week.”

He shifted again, this time confused. She had to stop herself from smiling a little bit. Not only was it fun to mess with Sokka, but for obvious reasons she had to interrogate his motives. Was he just lonely and horny after a long time abroad, and projecting his desires on her? If so, fine. She was open to the idea of releasing some long-built-up tension and having some fun. No guarantees their friendship would recover after they both lost interest, but they’d be fine. No problems.

On the other hand, did he come back from the South Pole looking to spend time together in a dating kind of way? Like, explore the possibility of more-than-friends feelings? That would probably  _ also _ lead to sex, but it was also much more complicated. As much as she loved Sokka, the thought of trying to  _ date _ him felt like opening a cupboard in her heart full of koala-sheep wool threads all tangled up together, and that was something she did not want to do.

She felt him look at her, probably trying to read whether or not she missed his double meaning.

“Yeah, I’ll do that.” he said carefully. “But I also brought back some really fantastic dark kelp liquor from the South Pole. Can’t get it anywhere else. There’s not enough to share with everyone, so don’t tell Aang and Katara, but it’s no fun to drink alone. I kept my apartment here the whole time I was gone, and although it’s not in good shape right now if you give me a few days to get things cleaned up you could come over and we could get drunk and you can fill me in on all the city gossip I’ve missed. If you want.”

Toph let herself smile, now. A sex date, then. Good. Great, even.

“Sounds great, Snoozles. Count me in.”

He leaned back, and scootched her legs into a more comfortable position on his lap. “Awesome. Tuesday?” he asked, confidence back in his voice and a smile shaping his words. 

“Tuesday.” she replied, pleased.

His new position had two of his fingers at the edge of her pant leg, on the bare skin of her ankle, and she was suddenly even more excited for Tuesday.

Suddenly she remembered why they were there. Spirits. With a twinge of regret at the loss of contact she swung her feet off of his lap and onto the ground. Yep, just as she suspected.

“Good news. The love-sparrowkeets are finished.” she told Sokka ruefully.

He sighed loudly. “Well, all good things come to an end. We should get up there before they fall asleep and I have to set up my bedroll in Appa’s stable.” He stood up and picked up his pack from off the ground, slinging it over one shoulder.

“Actually,” she said, pulling her boots back on, “I’m going to go. It’s late, I work tomorrow, and I’ll see Aang and Katara tomorrow at Tenzin’s birthday party.”

“Tenzin’s birthday is tomorrow?” Sokka smacked his own forehead. “Spirits, I forgot! Oh well, I’ll just call one of the travelling presents a birthday present and he’ll never know the difference.”

He held out his arm to help her stand, but she ignored it and felt him smile. “Are you sure you don’t want to come up to the temple?”

She shook her head. “I’m sure. Thank you though.”

They stood there for a moment, both slightly unsure what to say, the prospect of Tuesday hanging between them.

“Well,” Toph said finally, “goodnight, Sokka. It was nice to chat, and I’m glad you’re back.”

To her surprise, that softness was back in his voice. “Goodnight Toph. Thanks for sitting with me, I really enjoyed it. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“And Tuesday.” she said quickly, and then regretted it.

“And Tuesday.” he replied, the sound of a smile around his words.

With that, Toph turned around and within minutes she was bending her way back across the bay, to home.


	2. The Birthday Party

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things start to get a little steamy at the end of this chapter, folks. Enjoy.

The next day found Toph leaning against the stone exterior wall of Lin’s school, feeling the joyful chaos of 30 5-year-olds inside. It was afternoon, and she’d left her sergeant in charge at the precinct so that she could leave early for the day and pick up her daughter. 

Through the wall her ears picked up the teacher announcing the end of the day, and then her feet picked up dozens of tiny feet running their way towards the door.

The children burst into the courtyard, where Toph and the other parents and guardians were waiting. Even in the chaos Toph knew exactly which feet belonged to Lin. She knew her daughter’s footsteps nearly as well as her own, but also amongst all the tiny shoes on the stone, Lin was barefoot. Toph smiled to herself.

She felt the little girl stop and look around for Huyin. Toph pushed her heel into the ground and twisted her fist, and the stone tiles underneath Lin’s bare feet vibrated like they were full of tiny buzzard-wasps.

Lin gasped and laughed. “Momma!!” she yelled, and ran towards Toph as fast as she could. Toph scooped her up in her arms and held her tiny body, breathing in the smell of her hair.

Lin’s teacher, Ms. Yung, approached Toph and handed her Lin’s shoes. Mrs. Yung was very tall, and very thin, and her voice was a taut bowstring hidden under a thin veneer of patience.

“Chief Beifong, I know you and your nanny are aware of our school policy about students wearing proper footwear throughout the day. Lin is still struggling with this particular issue.”

Toph felt a surge of anger rise like an earthquake inside her. Lin didn’t seem to be bothered by her teacher’s words though, and was reaching up into Toph’s bun to tug on pieces. Toph gently grabbed Lin’s hand and pulled it out of her hair.

“Don’t worry Kim,” Toph’s voice was fake-sweet, and icy cold. Ms. Yung bristled at the use of her first name. “Lin has very strong feet. I’m sure she’s very safe, after all bare feet run in the family.”

Ms Yung sniffed. “Yes, well, have a good afternoon, Chief Beifong.” She bowed, and straightened. “And goodbye, Lin. I’ll see you on Monday.” Toph was pleasantly surprised that the teacher’s voice took on a kind tone when talking to her daughter, and it mollified a bit of her anger. Lin waved enthusiastically, and said “Bye Ms Yung!” which made the woman chuckle softly.

Alright, she wasn’t that bad. Maybe just a little too concerned about rules.

Toph carried Lin out of the courtyard, and set her down outside.

“Alright, kid. Do you want to wear your shoes on the way to Tenzin’s house?”

Lin squealed in happiness. “Tenzin? We’re going to Tenzin’s house?”

“Yep, it’s his birthday today, and we’re going to his party. I figured we’d stop in the market along the way and you can pick out a present.”

Lin was over the moon. Toph smiled to herself as the little girl grabbed her hand and pulled her down the street, babbling happily about parties and birthdays and presents. In the marketplace Lin picked out a rubber ball that she said had gold stars on it, and a bracelet with little wooden beads carved in the shape of turtleducks. Toph purchased a cloth bag to put the gifts in, and a satchel for herself to put the bag and Lin’s shoes, which she’d never decided to put back on.

Hand-in-hand, they walked to the ferry docks, and towards Air Temple Island.

\---

After disembarking the ferry, Lin and Toph walked their way up to the temple. The stones of the path were warm underfoot from the sunshine, and a cool breeze blew off the bay. Even from the beach, Toph could feel the rumble of the party up above. As they got closer, Lin tugged on her hand to be let go, and raced ahead. Toph walked behind, and as soon as her toes hit stone, everything sharpened into clarity. 

The courtyard was absolute chaos. Dozens of children were running around, screaming and laughing. Parents and guardians were milling in groups around a giant table of treats and chasing after children. Flying Bison calves frolicked and flew around, kids doing their best to catch them. A harried-looking puppeteer was trying his best to put on a show in the corner, but his audience was less-than receptive.

“Tenzin!! Get DOWN from the roof, RIGHT now!!” a familiar voice yelled. Toph smiled to herself as Katara stood with her hands on her hips, looking up at the top of the covered walkway. 

“I’m just getting the airball, momma!” Tenzin called down. 

“Your father can get the airball!” she called back. “You shouldn’t be flying unsupervised. Aang!”

Aang, the Avatar, the bridge between the human and the spirit worlds, was currently tossing giggling kids in the air with puffs of air bending, and setting them back down slowly like fall leaves, to the “oohs” and “ahhs” of watching parents. He looked up when Katara called his name.

“Tenzin! Listen to your mother!” he called distractedly, laughing as another kid went up in the air, squealing with delight.

There was a  _ woosh _ of air as Tenzin descended from the roof, and Toph felt his little feet land. “Mom! I’m 6 now, I can fly just fine without dad watching me.” he said, a little indignantly.

Katara adjusted his clothes and brushed off some dust. “It took your dad 6 more years to master airbending when he was your age, so you still need to be supervised.”

Tenzin was about to protest, when he noticed Lin. 

“Lin!!” He ran to her, airbending speeding his steps, and tackled her in a hug. She laughed, and hugged him back.

Katara turned and saw Toph. “Toph! I’m so glad you two made it!” She scurried over and hugged her, giving Toph her distinctive mom-squeeze. “I know it was last minute, but the only thing Tenzin wanted for his birthday was a party, and we couldn’t talk him out of it.”

“Lin was so excited to come,” Toph replied, once she was free of the hug. “and it looks like Aang is having as much fun as the kids are.”

Katara gave a little stress-laugh. “Yes! He certainly is!”

Aang was now air-tossing laughing kids up and onto the top of Appa’s tail, so they could slide down.

“It’s a good thing he’s the Avatar otherwise at this rate the other parents would never let their kids come over again.” Katara said, almost to herself. “Oh!” she turned back to Toph. “I have a surprise for you!”

Toph raised an eyebrow. “Really?” She rummaged through her satchel and pulled out Tenzin’s gift. “Before I forget, where are we putting presents?”

Katara took the bag from her. “Oh this is so nice! Thank you! We have the gift table just inside the temple so you can come with me. Your surprise is in there too.”

Toph felt the craziness of the party all around them. “Are the kids going to be okay out here? Don’t you have to host and mingle and things?” she asked. 

Katara waved a hand. “I’ve been hosting and mingling all afternoon. They’ll be fine! Aang’s here, and he’s great with people.”

Toph shrugged, and followed Katara towards the temple doors. She couldn’t help a twinge of concern leaving Lin outside with all the other kids and minimal adult supervision, but she pushed it aside.

She and Katara walked through the courtyard doors of the temple that came straight off the kitchen. Inside, Amaya was putting finishing touches on a massive cake. 

“Amaya, there you are!” Katara said. “When you’re done with that, will you poke your head outside and make sure nothing’s on fire? Aang’s the only fire bender that I know of out there right now, but you never know!”

Amaya was a short woman, with strong shoulders and a deep, calm voice. She was from the Northern Water tribe, and somehow managed to make water tribe food taste pretty good. She was great with Lin, and she always managed to be firm and kind at the same time. Toph liked her.

“Sure thing, Katara.” Amaya replied, still focused on her work.

“Thank you!” Katara breezed past and into the next room. Toph followed. 

“Here’s the gift table,” Katara said, “just set it down anywhere.”

Toph set down her gift bag among a giant pile of boxes and other presents, all stacked on the table. People went all-out for the Avatar’s airbending son, apparently. She ran her fingers over a giant wood-carved dragon with wheels attached to the bottom. The wheels were metal, and turned silently. A saddle was carved into the dragon’s back, and Toph could feel how intricately it was carved. 

“I’ll give you one guess who that one’s from.” Katara joked.

Toph smiled. “Do you think our kids know that most people don’t get presents from the Fire Lord every birthday?”

Katara chuckled. “Bumi, maybe. The others, probably not. Now come on, I can’t wait to show you!” She made her way through the next doorway, into Aang and Katara’s living room. 

Toph followed behind.

Inside, sitting on a giant pile of floor cushions, was Sokka. Kya and Bumi were sitting in front of him, enraptured by the story he was telling. His arms were spread wide, gesturing wildly as he spoke. 

“...and then the leopard seal spun around! And I had my trusty boomerang but I was almost out of air, so I knew I had to swim as fast as I— oh hey, Katara. And Toph! Hello!” He stood up, tripping a bit in the pillows as Kya and Bumi sighed in disappointment at their interrupted story. 

“Surprise!!” Katara said, arms spread. “Sokka’s home!!”

Oh. That was the surprise. 

Katara shooed Kya and Bumi out the door. “You kids get back to the party. Tell your father he needs to stop risking everyone’s bodily harm.”

“But mom! The story!” Kya said. 

“And the party’s only little kids!” Bumi added. 

“I’ll finish the story for you guys tonight, I promise.” Sokka told them. “With extra blood and guts!”

The kids cheered and ran out the door.

With Kya and Bumi gone, Toph felt like she should say something. “Wow! Sokka! You’re back!” she said, feigning shock. 

He paused for half a second too long before playing along. “Um, yes! Hi! I’m back!”

Katara looked back and forth between them suspiciously. There was an awkward silence.

“You KNEW.” Katara burst out, suddenly. “How did you know he was back? His boat arrived last night, and he’s been here all day!”

“We...ran into each other.” Sokka said casually.

Toph nodded in agreement.

“When?” Katara asked, incredulous.

“Last night.” Toph offered.

“When?” Katara repeated. “I thought your boat dropped you straight here?” she asked Sokka. 

He raised his hands. “It did, it did. We ran into each other on the island after I disembarked.”

Katara turned back to Toph. “You were on the island last night? When? We didn’t see you!”

Well, so much for Katara not finding out.

Toph sighed. “I came over after work, but I wasn’t able to get here until after sunset. You didn’t see me, but I saw you, and I figured it wasn’t a good time to visit. On my way out again I ran into Sokka. That’s it.”

“What do you mean it wasn’t a good time to visit?” Katara began, “You know you’re always welcome to come over, any time of day. I can’t believe you came all the way out here, and got close enough to see us, without saying hello! You—“ She stopped. She paused, connecting the dots. “...just after sunset…” 

She gasped.

Toph shrugged.

“That’s…I can’t believe...and did you know too?” Katara asked Sokka, sounding almost too shocked to be embarrassed. 

He shuffled awkwardly in response. 

She put her hand over her face. “Oh spirits. We are absolutely not going to mention this again. And we are absolutely not going to tell Aang.”

“Not going to tell Aang what?” Aang walked into the room, all smiles. “Toph! It’s great to see you.” He gave her a hug.

“Not going to tell you about all the new recipes Sokka brought back from the Southern Water Tribe that he wants Amaya to try.” Katara said quickly.

Aang made an immature grossed-out noise. “Yeah, no thanks.” 

He put his arm around Katara, and kissed her on the side of the head. “You know, I think we nailed it. I think we threw the best 6th birthday party ever.”

Katara chuckled, and Toph caught the relief in her tone that Aang didn’t push the subject. “I’d say so.” Katara replied. “The kids seem to be having a blast.”

Toph suddenly felt a change in the courtyard. She shifted her stance, and extended her senses.

Lin on the ground, crying. Tenzin over her, a half-dozen kids blown back with airbending. 

“Lin!” Toph cried, and surged forward on a slab of stone bent up from the floor. She bent doorways into the walls as she went, to get there faster, and she felt the rush of air that meant Aang was flying right on her heels and the footfalls of Katara and Sokka running behind. 

She burst into the courtyard, stones slamming in her wake. Lin was on the ground, crying. Tenzin was sitting next to her, comforting her. And away from him were 6 other kids, crying and getting up from where they’d been tossed by an air blast, furious and scared-looking parents racing to their sides. All the other party guests were clustered around the edges of the courtyard, parents shielding children, shocked and whispering.

Toph raced to Lin and picked her up, pulled her to her chest, and bent the two of them a safe distance away from the other children. 

Aang landed, and struck his staff on the ground with a sharp  _ bang  _ that caught everyone’s attention, and all noise stilled. It was suddenly very apparent that he was the Avatar. “What is going on here?” he demanded.

There was stony silence from adults, and pathetic sniffles from kids. Toph touched Lin’s hair, still crying softly in her arms. She felt rage rise up inside her like molten lava. Someone had hurt her daughter, and these parents were too cowardly to say anything.

Tenzin spoke up first. His voice was quiet, intimidated in the face of so many people watching him. “We were tossing pebbles into baskets, and Lin used bending to throw hers. Fen-li and Sudon told Lin that bending was lazy. They said that it was a way to avoid learning how to do real things. And their friends pushed Lin, and she fell.” 

Toph heard Katara inhale softly. Toph felt Sokka shift.

Tenzin swallowed heavily, and started to cry. He really was so little. “And I’m sorry, daddy. I shouldn’t have bended at them. I’m so sorry.”

Toph felt her heart twinge at the little boy determined to do the right thing, and tell the truth.

As Tenzin’s voice broke from tears, Aang rushed forward and scooped his son into his arms, holding him close. He held the boy for a couple of seconds, squeezing him lovingly, and then handed him to Katara who took him carefully. Toph could feel Katara’s heartbeat racing furiously, a sure sign that her temper was flaring as strongly as Toph’s was, but her demeanor was calm as she quietly comforted her son.

The group of kids who had pushed Lin down were now standing, pulled away and sheltered behind tense parents.

Toph was well aware of the negative optics of Republic City’s Chief of Police losing her temper at a group of 6-year-olds at a birthday party. All of the parents here were important members of the community, whose children attended the small, high-security private school that Aang and Katara’s kids did. If Toph caused a scene or abused her position there would be incredible ramifications that could undercut the political stability of the entire city. She similarly knew how bad it would look for the Avatar to take sides in a conflict ostensibly caused by his own son. That didn’t mean she didn’t want to bury each of those anti-bending bullies up to their necks in earth, and the parents who were feeding them such vile ideology, too. Her hands itched, and she felt the earth around her, waiting,  _ wanting _ to be bent.

Aang stood tall, staff in hand. Toph felt him take a deep breath, and relax his stance and voice into a carefully-practiced and diplomatic tone. “Friends and honored guests, I apologize for this unfortunate interruption to the party. I think we all had a bit of a scare, but no one seems to be seriously hurt and I’m sure the kids will be forgetting all about this in no time. If everyone involved is okay, I think now is an excellent time to break out that delicious cake that Amaya has worked so hard on.”

At Aang’s words, a bit of tension released in the courtyard, and people started to tentatively move and begin talking to each other again. Bumi and Kya ran over to Katara and held onto her legs, and she took them and Tenzin back inside the temple. Aang and Sokka with unspoken understanding began mingling with the parents, offering apologies and small talk, beginning to lighten the atmosphere.

Toph knew the moment was over, and she  _ burned _ . There had been no acknowledgement of Lin, no apology offered, nothing. Aang had gone immediately to peacemaking, like he  _ always _ did.

She shifted Lin in her arms, and took a breath, trying to calm herself. She had to get out of here, she couldn’t stay and pretend like everything had been smoothed over when someone had hurt her daughter, and no one had  _ done _ anything about it except for Tenzin.

“Momma?” Lin asked softly.

Toph turned her ear towards her to show she was listening. “Hey Pebbles, how are you doing? Are you hurt?” she asked, using Lin’s nickname and keeping her fury out of her tone. She didn’t want to scare Lin more than she already had been.

Lin nodded. “Can we go inside the temple? I don’t want to go home. I want to keep playing with Tenzin.”

Toph ground her teeth while she thought about how to tell Lin that _no_ , they couldn’t stay with those little brats and their parents still hanging around, and that she wanted Lin far away when she gave His Holiness The Avatar a piece of her mind because it would involve violence and swearing.

And then she stopped, horrified.

When she was a little girl like Lin, her parents would whisk her away and to safety any time there was any hint of trouble. Tripping over a root, a sprinkling of rain, anything and everything. It didn’t matter what she wanted, it didn’t matter how inconsequential, she had to be kept  _ safe. _ It was like growing up in a prison of worried tones and silk pillows.

And she was trying to do exactly the same thing.

Fuck.

Toph straightened up, and set Lin back down on her feet. “Of course, kid. Let’s go find Tenzin. I’ve heard there’s cake, too. You can have as big of a piece as you want.”

At the news of getting to stay with her friend  _ and _ eat cake, Lin smiled, and her spirits seemed to lift dramatically. “Yay!” she exclaimed, and ran off towards the temple, dragging Toph by her hand to follow.

_ Kids bounce back so quickly _ , she thought to herself.  _ And I’ll be damned if I let pathetic bullies hurt her spirit. _

As she walked back into the temple behind Lin, she felt Sokka watching her as she left.

\-----

A few hours later it was after sundown, and all of the party guests had left. The afternoon had ended on a mostly positive note, with no seemingly remaining hard feelings after Aang and Sokka, and later Katara after she got the kids settled inside, smoothed over things with various adults and brought laughter back into the atmosphere. Tenzin never rejoined the party, and neither did his siblings and Lin, but the puppeteer came inside and put on several personal shows for them in the playroom, and Amaya gave them all the cake they could eat, and by the time the party was winding down Tenzin and Lin were fast asleep on top of the floor cushions, snuggled up next to each other. Kya was heavy-eyed and yawning after the long day, and although he was playing it cool, Bumi looked exhausted too.

Toph was sitting on a stone window-seat in the playroom as the puppeteer packed up his things, listening to Kya and Bumi sleepily tease each other and argue. Lin was snoring softly from her cushion on the floor, and occasionally Tenzin would turn a little bit and cuddle up closer to her.

Katara walked in, and handed the puppeteer an envelope with his payment. He bowed, and exited with his rolling theater cart as Katara turned to her two older children. “Come on, time for bed,” she said softly. “Go find Amaya upstairs and she’ll get you all settled. Be quiet so you don’t wake the little ones.”

With surprisingly little complaint, the brother and sister trundled off, hugging their mom on the way past.

Once they’d left, Katara leaned against the doorframe and looked down at the sleeping kids on the floor cushions. “The big day wiped them right out.” she said.

Toph stood up. “I guess it’s time to wake Lin up so we can go home. I hope it’s alright that we take Appa back to the mainland, to save me some of the walk carrying her.”

Katara waved a hand to stop her. “Nonsense,” she said. “There’s no need to wake her up, you two can just stay the night tonight and leave in the morning. The kids don’t have school tomorrow, you’re not working, and Tenzin hasn’t opened his presents yet so I’d planned to do that in the morning and I’m sure Lin would love to be there.”

Toph thought about it, and it did make sense. “That would be great, thanks.” she replied.

Katara nodded. “Sokka’s staying in the room we normally put you in, so you’ll need to take one father down the hall in the guest wing, if that’s okay.” she said. “He and Aang are just finishing cleaning up outside, they should be done any second.” She gestured to the two sleeping children. “We can leave them there for the night, they’ll be just fine on the cushions.”

There was silence, a lion-turtle in the room.

Katara shifted against the door frame, and sighed. “So are we going to talk about this afternoon? What happened with Lin and Tenzin?”

Toph frowned. “Probably not. We were both there, we both know what happened.” She flicked a piece of dirt from under her fingernail. “I’m well aware that Aang had to keep the peace for all our sakes.”

Katara walked over to Toph, putting her hand on her shoulder. “What those kids said to Lin was wrong, and there was a part of me that wanted to hurt them for what they said, what they did, and for scaring Tenzin.” She gave Toph’s shoulder a squeeze. “But if we’d reacted, if we’d lashed out, there would have been terrible ramifications. We all lead lives in the public eye, and we can’t go causing problems that will spread gossip like a wildfire that could turn people against Aang.”

“Or me,” Toph added wryly. “Or any of us.”

“Right, or any of us.” Katara confirmed, as though that’d been her point all along. She gave Toph’s shoulder a pat that was intended to be comforting, and then made her way out the playroom doorway, extinguishing the gas lamps on either side.

“You don’t need any help finding the guest wing, right?” Katara asked. “I’m honestly so worn out from today I’m about ready to fall over, so I’m just going to head straight to bed.”

“Nope, I’m fine.” Toph replied, resigned. She stepped carefully around the sleeping children, and out the door. 

Katara yawned, and gave her a hug. “Goodnight! I’ll see you in the morning.”

Toph felt her walk away and down the corridor towards the master wing. Toph sighed to herself and walked through the hallways and up the stairs to the guest wing. The temple was quiet, very quiet compared to the chaos of the day. She could feel the older kids already fast asleep upstairs and Aang in Appa’s stable outside, brushing tangles inflicted by eager little hands in his fur.

The guest wing was a long stone hallway with four doors that curved around the outside of the temple, each leading to large rooms with private bathrooms and balconies overlooking the ocean. They were meant for hosting politicians and dignitaries that came to visit Aang, and Toph occasionally stayed in the one farthest down the hall because the bed had a stone frame that she preferred over the wood ones in the other rooms. However, like Katara had warned her she could feel Sokka in that room, so she opened the door to the one nearest her instead.

A cool breeze blew in from the large balcony windows, and she made her way over to the bed, sitting down wearily. She pulled off her boots and her armor in pieces, carefully folding each section and placing it carefully on the bed next to her. She pulled off her uniform trousers so that she was just wearing her under-wraps, undid her chest bindings underneath her tunic so that she could breathe comfortably, then sent to work on unpinning her bun. Her hair fell soft and heavy, hitting just past her shoulders, and she made a mental note to get it trimmed soon.

When she was comfortable and free of the restrictive clothing of her day, she dropped into a stance beside the bed and pushed  _ up _ . An earth platform rose from the floor in the shape of a bed, complete with an earth pillow. It was always better to sleep where she could see, than be blind on soft sheets and a wooden bedframe off the ground.

She climbed onto her earth bed, and listened to the sound of the ocean coming through the windows. Despite a stressful day, it was peaceful. She laid on her back and breathed deep, meditating her way into sleep. She was just feeling it coming on, when her eyes snapped open.

Sokka. He was barefoot, sneaking down the hall. She felt a petty twinge of annoyance at him. He wasn’t making actual noise, but he was still interrupting her sleep with his footsteps just to get a drink of water or whatever he was doing. She sighed and closed her eyes again, willing sleep.

Hmm. That was strange.

Instead of sneaking past her room to the stairs, Sokka had stopped before passing her doorway. He was standing in the hall a few feet away, shifting his weight from foot to foot, not moving any farther. It almost seemed like he was listening for something…

Like a jolt of electricity, her well-practiced internal ambush alert sprang to life. Had Sokka heard something? Was there a threat in the temple? She couldn’t feel anything out of the ordinary, and she couldn’t hear anything, but she was well-aware that her senses still had blind spots. Damn it.

Moving silently with years of practice, she rose from her bed and crossed to the door. She lifted the latch carefully, and eased the door open, slipping her way into the hallway. She felt Sokka startle, but she put a finger to her lips and quietly closed the door behind her. She walked up to him and stood listening, stance ready, straining for any sounds of potential danger.

A tense few seconds ticked by. Nothing. She couldn’t hear anything, and Sokka didn’t seem to either.

The tension in her body was still high as he leaned down close to her ear, and she couldn’t help but jump a little bit as soft bristles tickled her on the way past.  _ Sokka has a beard? _

Very close and in a tiny whisper, he said, “...Toph. What are we doing?”

She stopped.

She stepped back.

“I..” she began, as her cheeks flushed with the embarrassment of another misunderstanding. Damn her constant paranoia. He hadn’t heard anything, he was just in the hallway, and now she looked like a fool. “I thought you had heard something, so I came to help in case there was trouble. But there’s nothing.” she whispered angrily. She turned away, to go back into her room.

He reached out and caught her wrist. “Hey, don’t go.” he whispered back. “It’s alright. It’s true that there’s nothing dangerous out here, but thank you for always having my back anyway.”

Her shoulders relaxed a little at his words and she paused. Everything was fine. She was overreacting to her embarrassment, again. She turned back to face him and leaned against the wall, taking a deep breath to help with the still-running adrenaline.

“If there isn’t some silent threat out to get us, what are you doing here in the hallway?” she asked.

Sokka leaned his shoulder against the wall next to her, and rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. “Well, to be honest, I was coming to check on you.”

She frowned. “Check on me? Why would you need to check on me?”

“After the situation with Lin today, I wanted to make sure you were alright,” he said, concern coloring his tone.

She sniffed in derision, letting her hair fall in front of her face and crossing her arms over her chest. “I’m fine. Lin didn’t even seem to be bothered by it after a few hours, and there wasn’t that much harm done anyway. She’s a tough kid.”

“That’s true, she is.” Sokka agreed. “And even though it could have been dangerous for him to bend defensively, I’m proud of Tenzin for standing up for her. Those kids said some pretty terrible things about benders though, and I know you. I’m sure you’re not too happy about Aang just glossing over everything.”

How did Sokka always manage to nail down what she was thinking? It was a little annoying, but also endearing, but also frustrating. She considered lying to him, but thought better of it. “You’re right. I’m frustrated that there was no apology, and that Aang didn’t address the anti-bending things that were said. By the time I felt like I could say something, the moment was gone and with my position as Chief it makes everything so much more complicated.”

He nodded, listening.

“But also,” she continued, turning so that her back was against the wall. “they’re just little kids. Kids say mean things to each other, and they push each other, and they cry and learn and that’s a normal part of childhood. But Aang’s the Avatar, and I’m Chief of Police, and instead of having a normal childhood we all fought in a  _ war _ , so I have no clue how to react to things like a normal person.”

Sokka took this all in, and she could feel his gaze on the side of her face. There was a moment where she wasn’t sure how he was going to react, but then he took a deep breath and stepped closer to her, putting his arm around her shoulder. “Hey,” he said softly. “I think you’re a great mom. And a good person. And Lin is incredibly lucky to have the greatest earthbender in the world looking out for her.”

At his words, she felt her eyes well with tears. She turned her body into his, hugging her arms around his chest so he wouldn’t see. He wrapped his arms around her, and rested his cheek on top of her head, holding her tightly.

“And,” he continued, “we all know that Lin will grow up to be the second-greatest earthbender in the world, and show those dumb kids a thing or two in her own time. Which I am having a great time imagining.” Toph felt him gesture with one arm, keeping the other around her. “She’ll give them a ‘hah!’ and a ‘hiyah!’ and next thing you know they’re launched fifty miles away, landing  _ mostly _ unharmed in a patch of barrel cactuses.”

She laughed against his chest, and felt him smile. She relished the feeling of his warm body against her face, and the feeling of his back muscles against her hands, and the way his chest moved as he breathed. This felt good, and right.

With their proximity, and the way he’d lightened the atmosphere between them with his kindness and his jokes, and the way she was  _ not _ wearing very many clothes, her thoughts drifted to Tuesday. With all that had happened today, the idea of a casual hookup date with her oldest friend almost seemed silly now, childish. Confessing her feelings of inadequacy as a mother and late-night tearful comforting hugs did  _ not _ lend themselves to a minimal-strings-attached situation.

But then again…

She pulled her head back without leaving his embrace, and turned her face up to his. Time for a subject change. “So since when do you have a beard?” she asked. She snaked one of her hands from around his back and up in-between them. She ran her fingers over his jaw, feeling the shape of the hair coming off the point of his chin. It suited him. His cheeks were clean-shaven, but with a bit of roughness from the growth of the day.

He hummed, and she felt the vibration against her chest. “It’s in fashion in the Southern Water Tribe. I started wearing it while I was there, and it’s kind of grown on me.” He chuckled a little at his own joke, which made Toph smile and roll her eyes.

“Since when are you fashionable?” she teased, voice low. She shifted her body against his, and was rewarded by Sokka’s heartbeat increasing its speed. It was nighttime, they were all alone, and they were currently pressed up against each other in what had moments before been a comforting hug, but was now something very different under a rapidly-changing context.

Sokka tilted his face into her hand as she moved her fingertips across his cheekbone. His voice dropped to a level that matched hers. “You’d be surprised at what I’ve picked up over the years,” he said with a small smile that she could feel on the edge of her palm. “I’m more fashionable than you’d think.”

His hands shifted from up around her shoulder blades down to the center of her back, and one came around to rest just above the swell of her hip. She felt him move over the fabric of her tunic, the single layer of fabric feeling so close to bare skin. The air in the hallway was charged with electricity, and Toph was intensely aware of everywhere their bodies were touching each other.

Was this really happening? After all these years? They were teetering on the brink of crossing a threshold that they had never crossed before, and instead of feeling nervous or worried, Toph was  _ excited _ . This was exhilarating.

Slowly, ever so slowly, Sokka turned his head and pressed a small, gentle kiss into her palm.

Toph’s breathing hitched. Warmth bloomed from where his lips touched her hand, spreading throughout her whole body in a rush, and her heart raced loud enough she was sure even he could hear it.

Fuck it.

She gripped him by the back of the neck, and pulled him down to meet her in a searing kiss. They crashed together, stumbling slightly off-balance from the force of it, but that didn’t matter because she was  _ kissing Sokka _ . His lips were soft but firm, moving roughly over hers in a way that was frantic and needy and  _ perfect _ . It was years of tension, of teasing, of magnetic attraction all leading up to this moment in the hallway and spirits-be-damned if this wasn’t exactly what she wanted.

His arm was deliciously tight across her back, holding her flush against his body. His fingertips gripped her hip, and her hand found the edge of his shirt, slipping underneath to feel the smoothness of his back, the other already working to undo his wolftail so she could get her fingers into his hair. She held on tight as he pivoted, spinning them both around, and somehow despite his speed of movement her back hit the stone wall of the hallway gently.

With the wall giving him leverage, the hand across her back moved up and into her hair, tilting her head to give him better access. She wiggled against him, moving her leg until she was straddling one of his thighs, and pushed her hips forward. She gasped at the contact, and Sokka pulled back slightly, pressing their foreheads together. “Fuck.” he whispered, strained. He tugged on her hair and pulled her back into their kiss with somehow even more passion than before, now pointedly adding pressure against her with his thigh and the weight of his body. She could feel how hard he was already, and it sent a thrill up her spine. She fought the urge to reach into his soft sleep pants and take him into her hand right here in the hallway.

She’d succeeded in undoing the tie holding his hair, and she threw it to the side as her fingers found their way into his hair, nails scratching along his scalp. His mouth left hers and began travelling down her neck, and she leaned her head back against the wall, all thought leaving her head at the feeling of his lips and tongue kissing and mouthing over her racing pulse.

Sokka’s hand left her hair, and one finger pulled aside the neckline of her tunic, exposing her shoulder.

“Is this okay?” he breathed, panting.

She nodded quickly, and his kisses moved their way to her shoulder. His other hand slipped under the edge of her shirt and ghosted their way up to her ribs, stopping just shy of the underside of her breast.

“How about this?” he asked.

“Yes, fuck.” she snapped impatiently, desperate for the contact. In one movement he took her breast into his hand and moaned deep in his chest, and her back arched at the feel of him. He ran his thumb over her nipple and she bit her lip as it hardened under his touch.

Her mind raced, thinking about the quickest way to get him into a bed with her. Her room was obviously the closest, but the only options were the earth bed (not comfortable for Sokka) or the wooden bed with mattress (not comfortable for her, too blind). The best choice was the room at the end of the hall with the stone bed frame, a good compromise. Although honestly at the rate things were progressing she was getting more and more tempted to just take him here against the wall.

Sokka recaptured her mouth with his, interrupting her train of thought. The hand at her shoulder came down to her hip, and pulled her even more flush against him and, spirits, he was so hard it was straining at the front of his pants and digging into her stomach and she wanted him on top of her, inside of her, all over her.

Oh.

Oh no.

She gasped, and pushed him off of her. He stumbled back, surprised and worried. “Toph, what’s wrong?” he panted. “Are you okay?”

“It’s Lin!” she whispered, her chest still heaving. “I can feel her, she’s on her way up here! She must have woken up!”

“Oh fuck,” he said, putting his hand on his face. “Tui and La. You scared me.”

Toph smoothed down her hair and straightened her clothes as much as she could. “You’ve got to get back to your room, she can’t see you like this.” she said hastily. “I’m sorry.”

“No, no. It’s fine. You’re right, I’ll go.” He stepped forward and grabbed her elbow, leaning down and pressing his forehead to hers. “I hope we’re still on for Tuesday?” he asked, still rumpled and a little breathless from their interrupted makeout. Toph cursed herself, cursed Lin, cursed the sky above and the earth below that he was so spirits-damned attractive and she was not going to get to ravish him tonight.

“Yes, we’re definitely still on for Tuesday.” she breathed, and gave him one last heated kiss before pushing him in the direction of his room.

She felt his bare feet walk away down the hallway, and just as he was safely through the door of his room, Lin was coming up the last couple of stairs. She was rubbing her eye sleepily.

“Momma?” her little voice called. Toph assumed it was pretty dark in the hallway.

“Hey Pebbles, I’m right here.” Toph said softly. She walked forward and picked the little girl up, smoothing down her hair that was sticking up from where she’d laid on the cushions downstairs. “Come on, let’s go to sleep.”

Lin laid her head on Toph’s shoulder as she opened the door to her room and gently set her daughter down on the earth bed. Lin rolled over and curled up, already nearly asleep again. She could sleep soundly on any surface, just like her mom.

Toph walked over to the other side of the bed, laying down alongside Lin who scooched herself over until she was snuggled up against Toph’s shoulder.

As Lin drifted back off to sleep, Toph sighed to herself. 

Tuesday couldn’t come fast enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No! They were interrupted! I guess we all have to wait until Tuesday. Drop me a comment below about what you thought of this chapter. XO -Superster


	3. The Weekend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With this chapter I had to change the rating from M to E, so I updated accordingly.  
> With that in mind, there's sex ahead so read at your own risk.
> 
> ...But is it the sex we've all been waiting for?

Saturday:

Opening Tenzin’s presents had the kids running around entertained for hours. Once the novelty of those had worn off, Sokka brought out hand-sized wind-up toys in the shape of whales and turtle-seals and penguins that swam just like the real thing, and the kids played with those in the temple fountains while Toph, Sokka, Aang and Katara got to sit and chat over lunch. It was great to laugh together and share stories from the last two years, and Sokka was ever the enraptured audience.

“No way, that kid is amazing!!” he said, when Katara told him how Bumi had been accepted into an advanced academics academy next year.

He laughed so hard he nearly fell out of his seat when Aang told him about the anthropologist from the fire nation that had visited Air Temple Island for the first time and was so shocked at seeing the litter of baby flying bison calves that he passed out in the stable.

When Toph regaled him with the story of intercepting a band of bending opium smugglers, whose waterbender managed to stab her with an ice knife in the middle of an intense 8-vs-1 battle before she was able to subdue them all and her backup arrived, Sokka was horrified.

“It’s okay,” she told him. “It didn’t hit anything important, and within one healing session I was just fine, albeit with a new scar.”

“That’s a relief. I bet it looks badass, I’d love to see it.” His tone was casual, friendly, completely innocent, but Toph was struck by the sudden thought that maybe she didn't want Katara picking up on their particular secret this time. That thought was startling, and she pushed it aside.

\---

Later that afternoon Aang gave Toph and Lin a ride back on Appa, and although Lin gripped Toph’s arm tighter than a hog-monkey, she didn’t hide her face as they flew, and sat still and brave the whole flight.

Back at their apartment the evening was blessedly short before Lin exhaustedly collapsed after two full days of fun. She slept peacefully in her room, and Toph changed into comfortable sleep clothes to meditate and drill her bending forms. It was a more-and-more rare indulgence, and one she enjoyed immensely. It was important to keep herself sharp, to keep her skills honed, to not slip into complacency.

In her spacious bedroom, cool night air blowing through the curtains, she dropped comfortably into a horse stance, arms tucked close to her sides.

_ Breathe in. _

_ Breathe out. _

She shifted forward, hands moving up and out.

_ Breathe in. _

She stepped to the side, pivoting smoothly.

_ Breathe out. _

She stepped slowly through the forms, taking her time to do each one right, slipping into them with the comfort of a lifetime of practice. She felt her chi swirl and move, pathways like veins of copper and gold through a mountain older than time. She felt her senses expand, the city around her pulsing with the life of a thousand bodies, a thousand lives. She felt herself, her being, the beat of her heart and the air in her lungs.

_ Breathe in. _

Shift. Push. Turn.

_ Breathe out. _

Step. Bend. Lift.

_ Hot breath on her neck, body pressed against her own, fingers tangled in her hair-- _

She stuttered in her form, stepping ever-so-slightly off-center.

She frowned. That wasn't good.

Recentering, she started again.

_ Breathe in. _

Lean. Pivot. Punch.

_ Breathe out. _

Stand. Step--

_ Tongue and teeth and pressure and Sokka Sokka Sokka-- _

Toph missed her step again, but she dropped to one knee and punched the floor, bending a ripple of pillars out from her fist.

Spirits damn it all.

\---

Sunday:

Toph sat still as her makeup artist swiped a soft brush over her eyelids. She was attending a wedding tonight. One of the city council members was marrying his longtime partner and it was her obligation as Chief of Police to attend. Formal events were an inconvenient affair, involving hiring tailors for her dresses and people to do her hair and makeup, but she secretly enjoyed the opportunity to flex her charisma and do some social reconnaissance. Toph always hired the best makeup artists money could buy, trusting reputation and skill to achieve what she couldn’t see for herself, and judging by the compliments she got at formal events, this lady was particularly talented.

Lin came running into her room, Huiyin on her heels.

“Momma, you look pretty!” the little girl said, trying to squirm up onto Toph’s lap. The makeup artist  _ tsked _ in disapproval as she moved her brush, but Huiyin swooped in and picked Lin up and out of the way.

“Sorry, ma’am!” Huiyin said, already on her way back out the door, Lin wiggling her way to freedom as fast as she could. 

Toph smiled to herself and let her go, as the makeup lady resumed her work. Toph smoothed the silk of her dress under her fingers, enjoying the sensation of the fabric and the texture of the embroidery swirling up over her hip, a finely-woven panda-lily pattern.

A few more brush strokes and a pass of fine powder that made her nose itch, and her makeup was finished. She kissed Lin goodbye on her way out the door and climbed into her hired palanquin, setting off for the party. 

\---

_ Assigned seats at weddings are a blessing and a curse, _ Toph thought to herself as the highly-inebriated owner of a pro-bending team sitting next to her started in on the third retelling of his incredibly interesting ostrich-horse story. She kept her head turned towards him out of politeness, but she let her mind and senses wander as the serving staff cleared the dessert course and she sipped her wine. People were beginning to stand up and leave the table since dessert was finished, and the large room buzzed pleasantly with conversations and peaceful tsungi-horn music from the band in the corner.

The grooms were at the head of the table, heart-rates aflutter, only really paying attention to each other. It was sickening, but she also had to admit it was pretty endearing. The long banquet table stretched on either side of her, filled with different dignitaries and important people in the city. Her sergeant and his wife were there a few seats down from her, and Aang and Katara were up near the head by the husbands.

The night had been relatively fruitful for interesting information. While mingling over hors d'oeuvres a shipping magnate had let slip the news that he was buying out his only major competitor, giving himself a monopoly on all live animal shipments to the city and surrounding areas. Based on some heart rates and a clandestine meeting that she spotted a few hallways over, two of the wives of the richest and most powerful families in the city were having an affair with each other. The most senior council member had privately revealed to close friends that she would be retiring early for her health, and of course that news had spread through the city like wildfire and tonight Toph had caught a few interesting rumors of potential candidates for replacement.

“...and he bucked me right off! Right there in the road! So I stood up and I said--”

“Mr. Akimoto,” Toph interrupted finally, patience wearing thin. “If you’ll excuse me.”

She stood from the table and walked away, weaving through small clusters of chatting guests on her way towards the restroom. Her sharp ears caught snippets of conversations as she passed, anecdotes about children, admiring the decorations, asking about how so-and-so knows so-and-so, normal wedding small-talk.

“--he just got back from the Southern Water Tribe a couple of days ago! I’ve heard he’s going to be in town for a while.”

Toph’s ears pricked up. Two women were standing next to a nearby pillar, drinks in hand, gossiping. She read their stances and listened to their voices, trying to place their families.

“Do you think he’s still single?” her friend replied, voice hushed.

“I hope so.” the first woman said, with a smile in her voice. “Do you think I should send him a messenger hawk? It was years ago, but still. I’m thinking about sending him a messenger hawk now that he’s back, to see if he’d be interested in hooking up again.”

Toph’s eyes widened as she realized what the woman was saying.

Her friend laughed. “I’ve told you how utterly jealous I am of you, right?”

Cheeks burning, Toph picked up her pace and walked until she was out of earshot. She grabbed another glass of wine from a passing waiter and circled back towards the banquet table.

The pit in her stomach sat heavy, but she studiously ignored it the rest of the evening.

\---

Monday:

“You three, take Greenlake! Zhang and Ghee, flank from Juniper and try to cut them off! I’ll be right behind them. Go, now!” Toph’s voice rang out as her officers raced to follow her orders. She bent the street underneath her into foot-pillars and surged forward, hot in pursuit of the eight fleeing men a few blocks ahead.

They had been tipped off to a possible gang-run pygmy puma fighting ring in a seedy part of downtown, and when they’d arrived they’d found almost a dozen of Republic City’s Most Wanted caught red-handed in the middle of a match. The snarling cats had hidden the sound of Toph and her officers getting into position for their raid, but one of the younger officers tripped a wire that set off a cascade of falling cans, alerting the men inside who immediately fled out the back.

Now she was chasing after, her seismic sense knowing exactly where they were ahead of her, even as they ducked and dodged down alleys and side-streets. She was faster, much faster, and closed the gap between them quickly. She felt her officers en route to intercept as per her orders, but instead of waiting for them to catch up she bent a wall tall enough to block off the whole street, and the criminals skidded to a stop.

She jumped off her earth pillars and landed with bent knees, punching her fists forward in a flurry of movement, sliding her feet along the ground into each bending stance, fast and controlled. Head-sized blocks of stone flew at each of the men, and pillars erupted from underneath them, throwing them off balance and disrupting many of the weapons that had found their way into hands.

Not all of them, though.

One of them dodged and straightened and stepped into a stance that Toph immediately recognized as someone with a bow.

Fuck.

She crossed her wrists in front of her face, bringing up a wall of earth as a shield, and was rewarded with feeling two arrows embed into it one after the other.

_ Sokka throwing his boomerang, taking out enemies from a distance _ _. Sokka fighting at her back, sword drawn._

The thoughts jumped into her head of their own accord. What the hell?

She jammed her heel into the ground and twisted, turning the ground under the archer into quicksand. To her annoyance he dodged, flipping acrobatically out of the way and running to the side, firing another arrow that she blocked with a second shield wall.

The brief respite had nearly all the men back on their feet, and she cursed ranged weapons with every spirit she could think of. She hated being on the defensive. Fighting invisible weapons that she couldn't see flying through the air was as bad as fighting firebenders in the war.

_ Sokka putting his body between her and enemy firebenders. Sokka kissing her. Sokka kissing that woman from the wedding. _

She shook her head, yelling in frustration as the thoughts stole her attention.

She stepped and  _ pushed _ , blasting her two shield walls forward and to the side, taking out a handful of them that way before quickly raising two new walls as more arrows flew her way.

By now her officers had arrived, and the two benders were battling two men each, while the three non-benders were applying their combat training and doing their best to subdue others.

Toph turned her focus back to the archer, as he was the biggest priority. She pushed towers of earth at him, fast and relentless, and he dodged each one. She pulled the ground underneath him away, opening a pit to swallow him up but he somehow flipped and jumped and didn't fall in. Spirits, the man was practically an airbender.

_ Okay. Fight him like you’re fighting Aang. _

She redoubled her attacks, putting up a shield wall every time she felt him get stable enough to fire his bow. Each time she advanced, the man dodged. She pushed him back towards the wall that she had bent at the mouth of the street, a little at a time, until at last she sent a huge slab right at his face and as he dodged backwards and away she brought the wall behind him down on top of him.

There was an avalanche of rubble, a clacking of the last few stones falling into place, and then sudden silence.

Toph breathed hard. She felt the other criminals, and her officers who had them safely in handcuffs, watching.

She listened, and waited.

There. A heartbeat underneath the rubble. Elevated, but stable.

“He’s alive. Get those in handcuffs back to the station right away.” She pointed at lieutenant Zhang. “Bend that guy out of there and get him in handcuffs and to a healer, although don’t jostle him around too much, he’s not in great shape.” She turned to one of the young non-bending officers. “And you, lance-corporal, get some benders here to clean this up.”

“Yes, Chief.”

“Yes, Chief.”

The officers scurried away, and she let herself relax her shoulders, although not completely. One non-bender had held her off for an uncommonly long time. That wasn’t normal, and anger burned hot in her chest. What in spirits’ name had happened?

\---

Toph paced her office, alone. It was nighttime, past when her shift was over. Tuesday be damned. This was ridiculous. She was vibrating with pent-up energy, from the events of the weekend, her encounter today, the looming thought of tomorrow hanging over her head. She was stressed, she knew it. And confused, which was worse than stressed.

Kissing Sokka had been, in a word, amazing. Which irked her, a little bit. It felt like weakness, admitting how incredible it had been. And it was just kissing, for spirits’ sake. But now Sokka was sticking in her brain, throwing her off. She couldn’t even meditate without thinking about him and overhearing one of his past hookups was...difficult (even though he was an  _ adult _ and it didn’t  _ matter, _ ) and thinking about their date tomorrow in context with both those things had left a bad taste in her mouth. She felt off-balance. And now it was affecting her work, which was completely unacceptable.

She stormed out of her office and through the bullpen, out into the street. A few short minutes took her to the next neighborhood over, a densely-urban part of town with tall apartments all stacked around and on top of each other, with cafes and restaurants underneath and smells and noises stacked just as high.

She found the familiar building and descended the stairs to the below-ground basement apartment. She knocked three times, loudly.

Banto, a slender man with an apathetic demeanor and hair that stuck out too far around his face opened the door.

“Hey Toph. Haven’t seen you in a while. How’ve you been?”

She pushed her way past him and into the small apartment.

“Fine.” she said. “Do you want to have sex?”

He shrugged, and closed the door behind them. “Sure, why not. What’s the occasion?”

She started taking her armor off and piling it on his small table, all business. “Doesn’t matter.” she said briskly.

“Okay then.” he said, tugging off his shirt and slipping out of his trousers in a few practiced movements.

Toph got her armor off, and then her clothes, leaving on her bindings and her wraps. Banto moved over to her and started nuzzling her shoulder, backing them towards the low bed, a hand already on her covered breast, kneading it roughly. She gripped his shoulders, rolling her hips against his as they moved, and falling back onto the bed ungracefully.

Sex with Banto was mechanical, scratching an itch. They didn’t kiss, often kept some of their clothes on, and they usually only did the minimum amount of foreplay required to get to the main event. He’d get off, then help her get off once or twice, and then she’d go home. It was easy, consistent, and no part of it was confusing or frustrating or complicated.

They found their way around each other’s under-clothes, and after a few obligatory minutes of touching to make sure she was ready to go, she was on her hands and knees with one hand bracing against the headboard as he fucked her.

It was hard and fast, no-nonsense. She closed her eyes and focused on the sensation, letting herself get caught up in the feel of the animalistic nature of it all. She reached her hand down between her legs and touched herself, rubbing small circles on her clit in time with his movements. Orgasms made everything better, and the more the merrier. To her frustration though, it didn’t seem to be working. She wasn’t getting there at all. She frowned, and tried again, doing her best to focus. She gave up after a few fruitless minutes.

Practically the whole point of this exercise and she couldn’t get it up. Damn it all.

Just when her wrists were starting to ache and she was about ready to push him off and change positions, she felt Banto stutter in his rhythm and grip her hips tighter, and he came quietly, without much fuss.

When he finally stilled, she pulled off of him and rolled over. He sighed and flopped down next to her, reaching over to his side table and handing her a cloth for the mess. She cleaned up, and he propped himself up on one elbow and reached his hand down between her legs, but she pushed his hand away.

“No thanks, not today. I don’t think it’s going to happen for me.” she said, some bitterness creeping into her voice.

“I mean suit yourself,” Banto replied, resting his head back on the pillow, “but I’m down if you want to give it a try anyway.”

“Thanks but no thanks.” She got up from the bed and found her clothes, putting them on as quickly as she’d taken them off earlier. She felt Banto watching her from the bed, quietly.

She buckled on her armor piece by piece, her movements sharp and purposeful.

“So...rough day?” Banto said, voice light.

The muscle in her jaw clenched, and she shot him what she knew was her steeliest glare, the one that made the new recruits shrink in their uniform boots.

“No.” she said firmly. She ran a hand over her bun, tucking in the pieces that had come loose. “Everything’s fine.”

He didn’t respond, and she felt a twinge of guilt for being short with him. They weren’t exactly friends, but they had a good thing going and he was discreet, which was a big deal to her.

“Are you...doing well?” she asked, a little awkwardly. Small talk wasn’t normally their thing.

“Yes.” he replied, without elaborating. Hands behind his head on the bed, still naked as the day he was born.

And that was that. Toph said her goodbyes and left back out the way she came.

She walked through the streets towards her apartment, streets that were relatively quiet at this hour. Republic City never truly slept, but things slowed down at night. Small puddles dampened her feet, remnants of a small cloudburst earlier in the evening that made the city smell dusty and clean all at the same time.

Visiting Banto had been to help with her stress, to help clear her mind from the feelings and confusion that had been fogging it lately. It was meant to simplify things, to tame her anxious, horny brain so she could focus on her work, on her life, and so her date with Sokka would go cleanly and easily with maximum fun and minimal attachments.

But as she walked down the damp roads of Republic City on a Monday night, wind rustling her hair where it fell in front of her face, she couldn’t stop the thought:

_ I don't feel any better at all. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoops, don't hate me. Next chapter is the big one! I promise there will be happiness and actual sexiness, not just angst. Leave a review if you liked the chapter, or leave one that tells me why you didn't! Thank you SO MUCH to everyone who's reviewed so far, it's seriously like direct serotonin to my brain and motivates me more than anything to keep writing. I love and appreciate you all!! XO, Superster


	4. Tuesday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is, folks. Tuesday.

Tuesday:

It was evening again, and the sounds and smells of people winding down from the workday drifted in from Toph’s bedroom window. She was in just her undershorts, holding a shirt in each hand and feeling the fabrics. One was stretchy and soft, very comfortable and expensive, but it was of a simple cut and hung loosely on her figure. The other was stiffer and was a bit more tricky to fasten, but it was more structured and close-fitting, and thus more flattering.

The fact that she was debating between the two options in the first place made her scowl, but after another moment’s thought she went with the tighter option.

She pulled the top over her head and tied the fasteners on either side, running her hands over the front, shoulders, and hem to make sure nothing was sticking out or laying wrong. It was sleeveless and bared a few inches of her stomach, and the breeze coming through the window brushed over her skin.

She pulled on leggings and re-pinned her bun with hairpins from the little side table in her room. As she grabbed them, her hand brushed a familiar coldness. Her space earth bracelet. She stopped and picked it up, feeling the shape in her hand and bending a few curves into it almost out of muscle memory. Space earth was harder than metal, and it never warmed to the heat of her body, but it bent with a smoothness and ease that was almost addictive.

She’d gotten out of the habit of wearing it because it didn’t fit comfortably under her armor. But if there was any night to wear it again…

She slid the bracelet up onto her bicep and left her room. She didn’t bother with fake shoes, and as she walked to the front door of her apartment it was quiet without Lin and Huiyin making noise. The two were on a playdate with one of Lin’s friends from school. 

She was almost to the door when she stopped.

_ Damn it. Of all times. _

She opened the door and Katara jumped, pulling her arm down from where it was raised to knock.

“Oh Toph! You startled me, I always forget you can see me coming.” she said cheerfully. She balanced a basket on her hip, and Toph could smell moon peaches.

“The trees in the orchard are producing like  _ crazy _ this year, and we harvested a bunch today so I thought I’d bring you a basketful. Can I come in?”

Toph didn’t respond as Katara pushed past and into the apartment, knowing her friend well enough to know that she was going to come in anyway.

“I left the kids with Aang,” Katara continued, setting the basket down on Toph’s kitchen counter, “Kya and Bumi would  _ not _ stop bickering all day and by the time we were done picking peaches I was about ready to freeze them to the closest surfaces and just leave them there. So,” she turned to Toph, and her voice got that very particular tone of when she was trying hard to be cool and interesting, “I figured I’d come pay you an impromptu visit and if you’re not busy we could hang out for a while, kid-free for a couple hours.”

Toph couldn’t help but grimace at the irony of Katara unknowingly getting in the way of Toph leaving for a hookup with Sokka, of all people.

“Katara, that sounds like fun but it’s not a great time for me. I have something going on tonight.” She kept her voice casual, but firm.

Katara scoffed. “It’s a Tuesday night! I’m sure whichever officers of yours you’re meeting up with at the bar tonight can live without you for one evening. It’s been so long since we’ve had a girls night just you and me!”

_ Well, _ Toph thought to herself,  _ most of the truth never hurt. _

She shrugged. “It’s not that. I have a date.”

Katara gasped and clapped her hands together. “Toph! That’s wonderful! How soon? When?”

“I mean he didn’t technically specify a time but I was just on my way out the door so--”

“That’s great!” Katara interrupted, stepping forward and grabbing Toph’s hand. With one hand she shut the door behind them and with the other she pulled Toph with her to sit down at the kitchen counter. “Tell me about him! I won’t keep you long, I promise. What’s his name? Where did you meet him?”

Toph settled into the chair a little reluctantly. “I met him through work,” Toph said, and the lie came easily, “you probably don’t know him and it’s just a casual thing, so no need to know his name.”

Katara rested her chin on her hand, interested. “Do you prefer to just date casually nowadays? The last guy I remember you being with seriously was Kanto, and that was back before Lin was born.”

Toph’s bangs tickled her nose and she tossed them back from her face. She felt the familiar tug of bittersweet memory that came up when she thought about Kanto. She didn’t regret their breakup at all, but their time together had been nice and she still thought of him fondly. “Kanto was great, but it just didn’t work out. And honestly, it was probably mostly because of me. I’m not really the relationship type, you know? I don’t like being beholden to someone.”

Katara’s tone was perplexed, but not confrontational, “Really? You don’t like being in a relationship at all?”

Toph took a second to look for the words, to put it in a way Katara might understand. She settled on a metaphor from shared experience. “It’s like I’m one of the shipping cars on a track in Omashu.” she began. “I’m on this track, moving fast and heading for wherever I’ve chosen to go, where I want to go. And I’m good at it. I’m good at choosing destinations, and I move fast and effectively and I enjoy it. When I’m in a relationship, it’s like someone trying to pull me from my track, or redirect me from doing what I should be doing. And I don’t want to be redirected, I like the track I’ve chose, and I like moving quickly.” She waved her hands around, searching for a way to expand the metaphor. “And even the best relationship is still slowing me down, even if I’m staying on the same track.” She trailed off, not sure how to continue.

There was a pause as Katara absorbed the analogy. 

“I think I understand what you’re saying.” she replied after a minute. “Still, it’s funny to me that you feel that way. I can’t really imagine my life without Aang, you know? I feel like he makes my life so much better! Especially raising the kids, I’m pretty sure I’d lose my mind if he wasn’t around. How do you do it with Lin?”

Toph pushed away the brief surge of annoyance at Katara brushing her off. The waterbender was happily married to her first love, it wasn’t a big surprise that she wouldn’t take Toph’s perspective as seriously.

Toph shrugged at the parenting question. She’d thought about it a lot when she was pregnant with Lin, and by now it was an easy answer. “Lin wasn’t part of the plan, but she’s awesome, and I’m not sad she came around and I’m not sad that Kanto is her father. That being said, I think it’s easier to raise her without extra hands involved. I don’t have to do things by committee, I can just decide what’s best for my daughter and do it.”

Katara nudged her shoulder. “I don’t know, Toph, I bet even  _ you _ could find someone you’d want to settle down with eventually. There’s someone for everyone out there, and I bet Lin would love having a dad around the house.”

Toph shifted uncomfortably at the implication. She’d just told Katara about how she didn’t enjoy serious relationships, and it felt like her friend had just breezed over that not once but twice. It was frustrating.

Despite herself though, Toph’s traitorous thoughts flew to Sokka. It seemed like she couldn’t help herself. If there was anyone in her life right now that could reasonably be considered for a relationship, it was him...but also, she couldn’t shake the feeling that that would be going against things she knew were important to her, that were intrinsically part of her. She rejected the thought as quickly as she could, but felt her insides settle into an uncomfortable knot.

Fucking hell.

She stood up quickly, startling Katara. This conversation was  _ not _ helping her complicated feelings before her date. She had to get out of here, and go meet up with Sokka before her own brain sabotaged things any further.

“Sorry Katara, I have to go.” Toph walked to the door and opened it, pausing in the opening before she left. “You’re welcome to stay, Huiyin and Lin will be home in an hour or so. Thanks for the peaches.” 

She cut off Katara’s surprised reaction with the closing door, successfully fighting off the impulse to slam it behind her.

Time to go.

\---

Toph wound her way down the Republic City streets towards Sokka’s apartment, reflecting.

This preoccupation with Sokka was a significant problem. They’d had all of a handful of conversations and  _ one _ makeout session and she’d turned into a moon-eyed teenager entertaining delusions of grandeur. It was increasingly frustrating.

Hooking up with Banto hadn’t really helped at all, so it wasn’t just unresolved horniness, which had been her first guess. She enjoyed sex a lot, and was as guilty as anyone of getting antsy when she hadn’t gotten any in a while. Skin-to-skin contact was powerful, and she’d assumed that was what she needed to be clearer-headed about Sokka. But, and her mouth twisted at the thought, it didn’t seem to work in this case.

She wove between slow-moving ostrich-horse carts and metal trolley cars, dodging around groups of people milling around and going places in the cool air of the early evening. As she turned a corner she felt a large amount of people up ahead, and with police-chief instinctual habit reached out farther with her senses to scope it out.

There was a new park in the neighborhood, built where some previously-demolished buildings had been. This wasn’t uncommon, the civil engineers employed by the council, supported by Aang’s suggestions, built many parks throughout the city to keep spirit-friendly spaces nearby and give all the citizens access to nature. This one was new though, completed just over the last week. The large group she sensed ahead wasn’t organized in any way, it was just lots of people all spending time in the new park. She felt the underground piping leading to tall newfangled gas lamps, presumably illuminating the space even though the sun was down. There were picnic dinners between couples, kids running around, elderly citizens playing pai-sho. There was a handful of teens trying unsuccessfully to climb one of the statues. Harmless and wholesome.

She was surprised, though. Republic City was urban and modern, with the majority of people working jobs that kept strict weekly schedules and children attending school. People went out every day of the week of course, but to have a park  _ this _ busy on a weeknight was uncommon.

Well, maybe not that surprised. She skirted around the edges of the green, listening to the noise of conversations and laughter and life. The park was brand new, and new things were exciting. Of course people were excited, even on a Tuesday.

A realization hit her suddenly, to where she almost stopped in her tracks.

_ That’s _ what was going on with her and Sokka. It was NEW. It was something she’d never had before. New experiences were thrilling, and entertaining previously unheard-of sexual chemistry with your childhood best friend certainly qualified as new, at least for her.

She picked up the pace, suddenly more excited.

That was it. The appeal of the unknown. Her life had become so monotonous, so mundane, that the novelty of a spark of true chemistry was turning her life upside down.

She felt a sense of satisfaction at the thought, at the feelings of a piece falling into place. She wasn’t losing her mind, she was just feeling dissatisfaction with certain aspects of her life, and she was coping by latching onto the only thing that was new and exciting.

The sounds of the city around her softened as Toph got closer to Sokka’s apartment. His place was in a quieter, more upscale neighborhood with fewer young families. She could smell the flowering ivies that grew off of balconies and up the side of the buildings, and the cobblestones underneath her feet were neatly placed and clean.

She felt an energy return to her chest, a little thrum of anticipation. This date was looking promising again, exciting. The first step to defeating an enemy is to identify it, and she’d done that. The unknown novelty of getting sexually involved with Sokka was the crux of her issue, and once it became a known variable there wouldn’t be a problem anymore. Once they had sex she’d feel much, much better. Hell, it could clear the way for more no-strings sex in the future.

Her senses found the right building up ahead, and she could feel Sokka moving around inside the ground-floor apartment.

She approached the door and straightened her shoulders. It was time to do this.

She raised her hand, and knocked.

\---

_ CREAK! _ The door squealed loudly as it opened, the volume of it surprising her.

“Damn it, I was going to oil that hinge today. I knew I forgot something.” Sokka said sheepishly, voice warm and welcoming. He stepped inside, out of the way of the door. “Come on in, I got the rest of the place all fixed up.”

Toph stepped inside. She’d been to Sokka’s apartment before he left for the Southern Water Tribe, at different times when all the friends would get together. This was the first time she’d been inside in a while though, and certainly the first time under the current circumstances.

The apartment was spacious and open, with a smooth slate tile floor that felt cool and comfortable under her feet. The living area had a large couch and chairs arranged in front of a fireplace with a small crackling fire that heated the stones underneath it. Sokka’s painting easel and a small work table and chair were arranged in front of the picture window facing the street, currently open to the evening breeze. An open doorway led to the kitchen, and Toph knew that the doorway alongside it went to Sokka’s office that doubled as his workshop. The doorway on the wall across from the window was the bedroom, and Toph reached out with her senses to make a mental note of the locations of the furniture inside, in case she was distracted and trying to navigate it later on.

Showing Sokka’s water tribe upbringing, none of the interior doorways had doors attached, and Toph could hear the soft whispering of the fabric that hung over each one shifting in the breeze coming through the open window, and the crackling of the fire in the fireplace.

“Have you eaten?” Sokka asked as he closed the front door behind them. “I had dinner earlier, but I bought some turtle-seal steaks this afternoon that I could cook up over the fire. They won’t be as good as ones that are freshly caught, but still delicious.”

She shook her head. “No I ate before I came, thanks.”

“No worries. Have a seat, I’ll go get the drinks.” Sokka said, gesturing towards the couch. He was barefoot, heartbeat steady, voice relaxed. As far as she could tell right now, he seemed to be having none of the trouble Toph had felt over the past few days. Good.

He walked to the kitchen and started bustling around, grabbing things. Toph walked over to the couch and settled down. The couch was draped in the soft fur of animals she couldn’t identify, and she ran her hand over them, enjoying the sensation on her fingers and how cozy it was against her back.

The heat on the stones ahead and the faint warmth against her toes told her the fire was small, probably there more for light than heat. She could also feel the piping in the walls and floor of Sokka’s interior gas lamps. He’d been one of the first private citizens to get them installed indoors a few years ago, back when most people were too nervous. The tell-tale hiss of the lamps was very quiet, which meant they were turned down low.

Sokka walked out of the kitchen and set down two clay-fired cups on the low coffee table. There was a smooth sloshing sound of a bottle in his hands.

“Here it is.” he said, voice tinged with pride, “The very darkest bull kelp harvested from the bottom of the kelp forests by the deepest divers in the south pole, distilled over rare blue tundra peat moss coals, aged for 10 years in underground birch casks with wood harvested from the treelines hundreds of miles from the capital. Bottled in pure sea glass, no two bottles the same.”

He extended the bottle to her to take, and then sat down on the other end of the couch.

Toph felt the bottle in her hands. It was small, only maybe 10 inches tall, the sea glass surface bubbled and ridged.

“Pretty neat, I’ll admit.” she said with a small smile. She handed it back to him. “You talk it up, but let’s see if this stuff actually lives up to the reputation. For all I know that was a lot of fancy words for ‘tastes like alcoholic sea prunes.’”

Sokka chuckled as he broke the wax seal on top and uncorked the bottle. “Trust me, it lives up to the reputation. I won’t tell you how much it cost to buy, but even my ‘son of the old chief, best friend of the avatar’ reputation wasn’t enough to merit a discount.”

He poured a very generous amount into each of the two cups and offered her one. She settled back into the furs on the couch and put the cup to her nose to smell it. It was surprisingly pleasant, sweetly smoky with an organic note, like grass after rain. She tilted back and took a sip.

Very strong. Not the strongest alcohol she’d ever had, but more burn than flavor with the initial taste. However, the liquor went down smoothly and the aftertaste was pleasant. She sipped again, and felt the first familiar feeling of warmth bloom in her chest.

Sokka made a pleased  _ hmm _ sound with his first sip. “That is truly excellent.” He relaxed back into the arm of the couch, angling his body towards her and throwing his arm over the back. “Like I told you, too good to share with just anybody.”

Toph smiled. “Alright I’ll admit, it’s pretty damn good.” She gestured to the apartment around them. “The place looks great. It’s like you never left. Did you repaint?”

“No, but I was considering it, actually.” Sokka began, “I think a darker color would really modernize the space, and would likely help hide some of the--” he stopped himself, and laughed. “Man, I really do fall for that every time.”

Toph grinned, taking another sip of her drink. “It’s fun  _ because _ you fall for it every time. Really though, I’m not sure why you went through the trouble of lowering the lamps and putting on the mood lighting for blind company.”

Sokka shrugged, and sipped his own drink. “Personal preference, I suppose. Plus I know you don’t love a big fire.” He said this off-handedly, and then his voice picked up a bit, in a conversational way. “So tell me, what has everyone been saying about Nunik while I’ve been away? If I’m going to angle for his council seat I need to know.”

“I’m glad you asked.” Toph replied smoothly, ignoring the tiny swell of happiness at his thoughtfulness, “He and his wife adopted a polar bear dog puppy last year. Jee told me they got a photo of it printed in the paper, and Lin was begging me for a puppy of her own for weeks.”

Sokka nodded seriously. “Very cute. Please continue.”

“About 6 months ago,” Toph went on, “said cute polar bear puppy, at this point no longer puppy-sized, ate Councilwoman Himari’s beloved pet rabbit at a community event in front of a giant crowd of people.”

“Oh, spirits. No!”

“There were a lot of families at the party. Prominent community members. From the statements my detectives took most of the kids present seemed to think the whole thing was very exciting, while most of their parents were threatening legal action of some sort or another. It was  _ quite  _ the scandal.” 

Toph smiled as Sokka grinned, imagining the scenario and shaking his head. “That poor rabbit, but the faces on those parents must have been priceless! I can’t even imagine the newspaper headline the next day.”

“You don’t have to imagine.” she replied with a smirk, “The headline was ‘Nice to “Meat” You: Bear Affair Shocks Local Fair.’”

As she’d expected, Sokka burst into pleased laughter at the headline. His laughter was contagious, and Toph laughed along with him at the terrible pun, enjoying his unironic enjoyment of such simple things. 

“Now  _ that’s _ journalism!!” he said, and Toph marvelled at just how familiar this all felt, and how right. With the warmth of the fire on her toes and the warmth of the drink under her skin, she felt the ease of being with Sokka settle over her again. Even just a few minutes into her visit she felt comfortable and relaxed, and in no hurry.

A comfortable silence settled over them, and the fire crackled softly as the breeze from the window brushed over it. Even though he was reclined back, Sokka had one foot still flat on the floor and she felt his heartbeat, slow and peaceful.

She finished the last swallow of her drink, and gestured with the cup in Sokka’s direction. “Pour me another one?”

“Of course.” He sat up, setting his cup down on the table and reaching for the bottle. She held out her cup for him to take, but to her surprise his hand closed around hers, holding it still. She breathed, and heard the liquor swish against the inside of the cup in her hand, and felt the warmth of his fingers over hers.

“You know,” he said, voice teasing, “You’re really supposed to savor a drink like this. Take your time. I’m barely halfway through mine.”

“Since when have I ever taken my time with anything?” she replied in the same tone, her voice softer with their proximity.

She felt him smile at that. He finished filling her drink, and as the warmth of his hand left hers she gripped the cup a little bit tighter.

Even though Sokka replaced the bottle on the table and resumed his relaxed position on the couch, he was no longer tucked against the farthest arm. His new position was closer, and with the way they were sitting their knees were close to touching.

She knew the dance was beginning, and it sent a thrill through her spine. The push and pull of a seduction, of two people who know they want each other. The difference between the other times they’d been close recently, and the current setting, was stark. There was nothing to wait for, no place to be, no kids to interrupt. There was no franticness in a quiet hallway, it was just her and Sokka alone in his apartment and a clear, unspoken goal.

She shifted, closing that last inch so their knees met. Just a tiny point of contact, like his hand over hers moments earlier. Moving with exaggerated slowness she took a tiny sip of her drink and gasped, putting a hand to her chest in mock pleasure.

“ _ Wow _ ,” she exclaimed, “this is absolutely  _ incredible _ . I’m so glad I’m savoring it.”

Sokka snorted. He tilted back and took what sounded like a large swig. Toph grinned internally at the pause accompanying the wince from the burn that he clearly tried to hide. 

“Wow,” he said, recovering, “this incredibly expensive masterpiece of a liquor, brought here all the way from distant lands overseas, sure tastes better when it’s drunk like cheap moonshine.”

Toph scoffed, “‘Distant lands overseas.’ The Southern Water Tribe is  _ very _ exotic.”

“Please,” he shot back, a smile shaping his words. “for all you know everyone from the tribe has tern-feathers tattooed all over and an extra row of teeth.”

She smirked. She knew an opening when she saw one. 

“Well, do you?” she asked. “Have tern-feather tattoos?”

She set her drink safely down on the coffee table, then leaned forward and with both hands grabbed his bare forearm where it was resting over the back of the couch, pulling it down in between them. She ran her fingers over it, examining. His skin was smooth, with a dusting of hair along the top that led towards his bicep.

“Usually I can’t feel them,” she went on, voice still casual. “but sometimes tattoos don’t heal as well on different parts of the body, and I can feel some scarring. I bet I could figure out if you had feathers from head to toe.”

They both had one foot on the floor, and Toph felt Sokka’s heartbeat pick up ever-so-slightly. His voice remained as calm as hers though, picking up a note of playfulness. “I’ll have you know that as an  _ esteemed _ artist of  _ great _ reputation, I only get my tattoos from the best water tribe artists out there. No scars for me, except for my standard war-veteran ones.”

She hummed disappointedly. “That’s a shame.” She shifted towards him, moving her leg underneath herself so she was almost kneeling. The side of her thigh pressed against his, and she knew how easy it would be to slip forward and straddle his knee, but she didn’t. Not yet.

Instead, she reached for his face.

“How about the teeth, then?” she asked. “I think I probably would have noticed if you had an extra row.”

She put her hand on his jaw, once again enjoying the sensation and shape of his beard. Her thumb brushed his lip, to illustrate her point.

She felt his heartbeat increase, again. Good.

Sokka put a hand on her leg, high enough to be bold but low enough not to be hasty. “I suppose you’re right. I used to have plausible deniability on that one, but not anymore. Pardon me for one second.”

He pulled his face away from her hand and stood, grabbing both of their drinks and the liquor bottle from the coffee table. There was a brief rustle of fabric as he took them to the kitchen. Coming back into the living room he crossed to the window and she heard him close it and draw the curtains, and within a few seconds he was back on the couch, slipping back into the same position under her hand.

“So,” he continued with a smile, “I guess I can’t fool you.”

His hand found the inch of skin exposed at her waist and he leaned forward, bringing their faces closer together. “That’s no surprise, though. I’ve never been good at hiding things from you.”

Toph felt the electricity of what was about to happen. Her own heartbeat pulsed in her ears, and everywhere they were touching each other felt focused and charged, and it was incredible, the feeling of newness and tension right on the verge of being released.

But, just as she was about to close the final distance between them, Sokka stopped.

“Toph, before we go any further I need you to tell me this is something you really want to do.” His tone was gentle, but very serious. “Jokes aside, teasing aside. Hell, what happened over the weekend aside, I just need to be sure. If you’ve felt pressure from me or if you’re here out of some sort of duty to our friendship, I don’t want to go forward.”

Toph’s eyes widened in surprise. She’d thought she’d made herself very clear without words, but Sokka’s concern touched her. The seriousness of the question made her pause, to make sure she got the words right. Coming out with ‘I’m here because you’re sexy as hell and I’ve wanted to fuck you senseless ever since we were teenagers, and I’m fucking thrilled that we’re finally in a place in our lives where that’s a possibility, and although I’ve had some conflicting feelings recently that part of it has never changed’ didn’t seem like the best idea. She settled on something simple.

“Sokka, let me be clear.” she moved her hand from his face to his shoulder, “I want to be here. I want  _ you _ .” She laughed softly. “To be perfectly honest, I’m really looking forward to it and have been for some time.”

“That’s good to hear.” he said, sounding relieved. He chuckled and she felt him relax, releasing a tension she hadn’t noticed he’d been holding. “No pressure though, right?” 

He moved forward, and the hand at her waist pulled her in closer until their chests met, her breasts pressed against him. With the serious tension gone, the sexual tension moved back in like a grass-viper. “I’ve been looking forward to this for a long time, too.” he said, face so close she felt the breath of the words on her skin.

Oma and  _ Shu _ .

Unwilling to wait a second longer, Toph kissed him. Hard.

They both surged to life at the contact. Toph pushed Sokka back and swung her leg around to straddle his lap, her seismic senses going dark and being replaced by  _ Sokka Sokka Sokka _ . His mouth moved over hers passionately, fingers gripped her hip and pressed her down for more contact, the other hand going up and already starting to work on undoing her bun.

She reached up to help, making quick work of the three main pins that held it together and tossing aside her headband so her hair fell loose around her shoulders. Sokka’s fingers immediately wove themselves into the hair at the back of her head and tilted it, mouth leaving hers to kiss along her jaw, and down her neck.

Already breathing hard, warmth bloomed in her stomach at the touch of his lips on her neck and she rocked her hips forward, hearing him hiss underneath her ear and press his hips upward in response. He kissed down to the top of her shoulder, her fingers gripping the back of his neck in response and her other hand already tugging on the tie of his tunic, pulling it open to expose his chest. Her hands ran over the lines and planes of his muscles greedily, and grazing a pectoral with her fingernails earned her a sound in the back of Sokka’s throat and another press of his hips. He was already hard underneath her and pressed so close and her thoughts were starting to swirl in a fog of lust and need and want.

Sokka’s fingers found the bottom edge of her top and ghosted underneath it. 

“You know,” he said, panting, “you look so damn good in this.” his other hand found the fasteners on the side. “It’s almost a shame to take it off.” He tugged at the hem. “But that’s not going to stop me.”

She laughed as she helped him pull it up and over her head, the air hitting her bare skin deliciously. He leaned forward and shrugged out of his tunic, and then pulled her back into a searing kiss. The skin-to-skin contact made them both gasp and she pulled her arm around the back of his neck to bring him in as close as possible. Sokka’s hands curved around to her ass and pulled her in even tighter, and it was clear that grinding on his lap was quickly becoming insufficient for both of them.

In between frantic kisses she was contemplating the quickest way to get out of her pants when he bent his head and took her breast into his mouth and all thought left her brain. Toph’s head flew back and she gripped the back of his neck as his tongue swirled over her nipple, hardening it almost immediately. He sucked and kissed, one hand leaving her ass to grip her other breast and  _ fuck _ it felt so good.

Sokka moved his other hand in between them, running his fingers down her stomach and even lower to where she was already wet under her leggings. Over her clothing he stroked her with his thumb and she squirmed and pushed against him, desperate for more. She felt him smile against her breast, the smug bastard.

“Okay oka-- _ fuck _ \--we are wearing too many clothes.” she breathed, dizzy from the attention happening simultaneously on her breasts and between her legs.

He pulled his mouth away from her skin and looked up at her, breathing hard. “I agree. Also--” he kissed her bare shoulder, “if it doesn’t ruin the mood--” he kissed a spot underneath her jaw, ” as much as I’d like to take you right here on the couch, I’m not 23 anymore and would probably prefer the bed.”

“Me too.” She pulled him back into a kiss, and they stood in a tangle of limbs, dodging furniture as they groped and danced their way into Sokka’s bedroom.

Sokka’s bed was on the floor in the center of the room, a large and comfortable permanent sleeping mat with a low table on either side. As they reached the edge of the bed Sokka hooked his fingers under the edge of her leggings and undershorts and started working them down, dropping to one knee on the blankets behind him and kissing his way down her body. When his mouth reached her hipbone he surprised her by gently scraping his teeth over it and she gasped, her hips flying forward and her hands winding into his hair. He hummed low, almost a moan, and Toph immediately wanted to hear it again and again.

She stepped out of her clothes, now completely naked in front of him as he kneeled in front of her, his hands finding their way back up her legs, fingers curling around the back of her knees. He laid a heated kiss on the top of her thigh, beard tickling her skin. She widened her legs, fingers already knotted into his hair as cool air hit wetness and she fought the urge to pull him in faster, to stop the teasing.

As though he read her mind, Sokka surged forward and his mouth met her core, impossibly warm and wet and  _ right _ and Toph couldn’t help but cry out at the contact, a sound that made his hands flex against her thighs and his fingertips grip tighter. His tongue drew a hot, delicious path from her entrance to her peak, spreading her open and turning her thoughts into complete chaos. Finding the spot that would make her come undone he alternated between speed and excruciating slowness, and through the haze in her brain she could sense him paying careful attention to her reactions, adjusting to her movements. Her head flew back as he devoured her with infuriating thoughtfulness, and her hips stuttered forward, grinding against him as the sensation built. He drew teasing, tantalizing circles around her clit and  _ sucked _ and  _ fucking hell _ only years of bending discipline kept her from falling over.

Feet flat on the ground, dazed as she was, Toph could see them perfectly. Sokka on his knees in front of her, face buried inside her and herself standing on trembling legs, riding his mouth unashamedly, and the image of it made her skin feel hot and her stomach tug with familiar pressure. The sensation grew with every surge of his lips and every flick of his tongue and he was moving faster and faster and  _ spirits  _ it felt so good and  _ fuck _ she hadn’t come this fast in  _ years _ and--

Her thoughts exploded into sand as she came, hard and shaking and gasping. Sokka stilled until she finished then pulled away and sat back on the bed with his legs in front of him, not taking his hands off of her until she got her breath back and was standing more steadily.

He didn’t say anything, just wiped his mouth with his hand and watched her come down from her orgasm. She couldn’t see his expression, but she sensed him smiling. Her eyes narrowed. She wasn’t about to let him think he had the upper hand the whole time, it was time to return some favors. 

Taking advantage of his new position and itching to take back control, she lowered herself onto his lap, straddling his knees. She felt the hardness tenting his pants, and slowly ground herself forward over it, her core still slick from his attention. She was rewarding with Sokka hissing in a breath, bringing his hands up to grip her shoulders. She pressed her breasts into his chest and took his earlobe between her teeth and rocked her hips forward, taking smug pleasure from the way his muscles tightened and his hips rose to meet hers out of instinct. His hands palmed over the planes of her back and down to her hips, pressing her down onto him harder, and the pressure was hot and delicious and wonderful.

“Let me get out of these.” he panted, voice a little rushed.

She laughed against his ear and swung her leg off of him. She moved farther up the bed to the pillows while he worked his pants off in record time, and then he stood up and opened a nearby wooden chest, retrieving something with the light  _ clink _ of glass and crossing to set it on the side table nearest them. As he set it down the contact with the table gave her a clear image of a small bottle of viscous liquid. Oil, probably. “To help us out, if we need it,” he said matter-of-factly. He knelt back down on the bed. “What do you prefer for contraception?” he asked. Despite the un-sexy nature of the question Toph felt a pulse of attraction. She really, really wanted him.

“I time my cycle, and this is a safe week, so we’re fine without.” she replied, “But I’m happy to use a second method if you’d like to be extra careful.”

Sokka shook his head. “It’s alright, I trust you.”

Important conversations completed, the sexual charge in the air ramped up again and Sokka moved towards her with purpose. Toph sat against the pillows, watching him with anticipation. Even though the sleeping mat and light summer bedsheets muffled it somewhat, the fact that Sokka’s bed was on the floor kept her sight incredibly intact, and she had the passing thought that she should make it a habit to sleep with more Water Tribe men.

All of a sudden Sokka paused in his path to join her at the pillows. He made a sound in his chest, almost a chuckle, before picking up one of her ankles and placing a soft kiss on the inside of her calf. He began slowly kissing his way up her leg, nuzzling his nose along the sensitive creases of her knee and inner thigh. 

“What is it?” she asked, feeling a bit impatient with him slowing things down again. 

“I mean, you probably know this,” he said, pausing to find that sensitive spot on her hip bone again as she squirmed. “But you are incredibly attractive. And don’t get me wrong, I’ve known that for years, but this is...wow.” He made his way up until he was propped up on his side alongside her, fingers circling her nipple. He kissed her ear, her cheek, the curve of her jaw. “It’s almost funny, but not in a bad way. More like a ‘local man still marvelling at being lucky enough to be in bed with such a beautiful woman’ kind of way.”

Although Toph loved praise in most circumstances, including sexual ones, she fought to keep her expression still as Sokka’s words cut through the haze of lust and adrenaline. Immediately she was hit with an instinctive bloom of flattered pleasure. Unbidden, excitement of a non-sexual kind buzzed in her stomach and the childish, hazardous thought of ‘ _ Sokka is telling me, out loud, that I’m beautiful, and that he’s thought so for years!’ _ , zipped into her head like an escaped cat-monkey and rattled her concentration. 

Deliberately and with effort she snuffed these out as quickly as possible with the mature and practiced thoughts of an adult, keeping her rational brain in control of her feelings. Of course he thought that. She felt similarly about him, and their mutual attraction was the reason they were here in the first place. It was just a compliment, given during sex, as common and expected as kissing.

Slowing things down was obviously not the right move here though, despite how committed Sokka seemed to be to the idea. It was causing trouble, and Toph was here for a good time.

Instead of formulating a response, she leaned forward and kissed him thoroughly, putting as much urgency into it as she could. He responded immediately and passionately, one of his hands winding into her hair and the other wrapping around her waist to pull her completely flush against him. The feeling of his fully naked body completely against hers was electric, and her gut throbbed with arousal and her heart raced at the contact and  _ yes _ , that was more like it. 

For the first time uninhibited by clothing she felt his cock, hard and throbbing between them. She pivoted and rolled them both over until she was straddling his thighs, then reached for the bottle on the side table and popped the seal easily, covering her hand in a slickness that smelled lightly like cedar wood. He sat up to meet her and kissed her again, hot and wet and forceful and perfect. They broke temporarily for air and she reached down and took him into her hand and in return she heard that wonderful groan from inside his chest again that went straight to the animal part of her brain and made her want to pull him inside of her. He pushed against her with his hips and despite her eagerness she stroked him deliberately and carefully, oil gliding along his skin, starting gently but quickly picking up pace. He was silky smooth and impossibly hot to the touch and his fingers flexed on her thighs with every stroke, urging her on.

“I want you.” he said, voice tight and husky.

She didn’t need to be told twice.

Toph rose up on her knees and set herself over him, teasing the head of his cock at her entrance for a brief second, then sheathed him all the way inside her in one fluid motion. Her head dropped to her chest and her hand flew to his shoulder to brace herself at the feel of him, struggling to form a coherent thought as he filled her completely and felt so  _ fucking _ right and his hips surged to meet hers.

She pulled herself together enough to move and started rocking her hips up and forward. She was limited in her speed by their position but she still set a brisk pace right away, her eagerness to finally feel him inside of her winning out over any other impulses. Sokka’s hands gripped her firmly, meeting her thrusts evenly, but she felt a tremor of self-control in his fingertips and heard a hitching in his breath that almost took hers away.

Panting, still riding him, she lowered her head and sank her teeth into the cord of muscle between his neck and shoulder. His hips bucked underneath hers reflexively and he let out a shocked half-laugh, pulling her closer to him. She hoped he’d take this as a cue to move and he did, hitching a hand under her knee and rolling them over, his weight settling over her deliciously.

After a brief second of readjustment his hips surged forward and he sank inside her again, hand still under her knee and angling her hips to  _ just _ the right angle and she felt the familiar swirling and tightening of a building orgasm.

Sokka hit a fast and relentless rhythm, driving into her with a force and purpose that had her senses seeing static and her hand braced on the wall behind her head. Every stroke wound her up further, and she gasped with the sensation, feet twisting themselves into the sheets on either side. He was breathing hard, one arm braced alongside her and the other pulling her knee up even higher, spreading her open.

“I’m going to come, but I’ve got to get my hand down there.” she said desperately, too overwhelmed to think straight.

He moaned, actually  _ moaned _ , stuttering in his rhythm for a split second before continuing. She felt him shake his head. “I want to get you there, I want you to come with me.” He adjusted his body position, bracing himself higher and letting go of her knee to work his hand in between them. His thumb found her clit and she cried out, her body erupting like a lightning strike of blinding pleasure.

She wasn’t going to last much longer, and neither was he. His rhythm grew more frantic, more forceful, his thumb picking up a speed to match his thrusts that had her hands grasping at his back, the sheets, anything in reach.

“Toph…” Her name came from his lips almost like a prayer.

Shaking and gasping, she came.

Sokka cried out as he followed her, hips quivering as he finished, Toph barely registering it as her orgasm roared through her body like a crashing wave. It was utterly perfect.

Sokka collapsed on top of her, angling his body to the side to keep most of his weight off and his head coming to rest on her shoulder. There was stillness, just the sound of them both catching their breath. Toph closed her eyes and let the aftershocks roll through her, pulsing and wonderful as she returned to herself. Her senses unfolded and returned to their normal distance, the nighttime streets calm and peaceful around them in every direction. She felt a familiar, pleasant heaviness settle over her limbs, and lazily grazed her fingernails over the muscles of Sokka’s back.

After a few moments he spoke from her shoulder, not raising his head. “This is really, really nice, but I should probably roll over so you can breathe easier.”

“No, it’s fine. I’m an earthbender, I have no problem with crushing weights.” she quipped, but the tone was pleasant and relaxed.

Sokka chuckled, and she felt the rumble of it in her own chest underneath him. He rolled off of her and to the side, and the cool air of the room hit her skin.

He stood with a groan and padded over to the bathroom, returning a minute later and handing her a damp cloth.

“Thanks.” she said, sitting up enough to clean up. 

He sat back down next to her on the bed against the pillows and ran a hand through his hair, stretching out the muscles of his neck. “Wow. That was...fuck. That was really good.”

Toph wrapped up the cloth and held it out for him to take, and he set it on the side table. “Yeah it was.” she agreed. She stood and walked to the end of the bed, looking for her clothes. She picked up her underwear and started working her way into it. “It really was.” she said again, more to herself.

It was time to go. She did it, she’d had sex with Sokka. And, as expected, it was really fucking good. Her leggings were next, and she worked the fabric up over her legs unhurriedly but purposefully.

She felt Sokka eyeing her from the bed. She shimmied into her leggings, not bothering to try to look graceful. “Are you getting dressed because you want to put your clothes back on, or are you getting dressed to leave?” Sokka asked, a wry note to his voice.

Toph gave a small shrug. “To leave.”

Sokka didn’t respond right away, so she turned and walked to the living room to find her top and her hair pins. She felt him stand and follow her, not bothering to pick up his own clothes from the floor.

He leaned in the doorway to his room, naked, arms folded across his chest. “That’s too bad. You sure you don’t want to stay a little bit longer?” he asked, watching her pick up her things. “I was really enjoying catching up. We haven’t even gotten properly drunk yet.” His voice was casual and light and friendly, but his body language betrayed something else that Toph deliberately chose not to pay attention to.

She pulled on her top and clasped it. “It’s a school night,” she said apologetically, practiced hands putting her bun back together with well-placed pins. “and I have work in the morning.”

Sokka nodded, understanding. “Right,” he sighed, “it’s a Tuesday. That makes sense.”

She got everything in place and double-checked she had all of her clothes on properly. She turned and walked to the door, and Sokka followed her.

Before she opened it, she turned to face him. “Hey, thanks for the liquor and the conversation. I enjoyed them. And the orgasms, I  _ really _ enjoyed those.”

He laughed, easily and naturally, and something inside her relaxed.

“You’re welcome.” he said. “And same, I had a great time. I’ve really missed you, you know. Very much, and...” his voice trailed off momentarily. “...well, I’d enjoy it if you wanted to do this again.”

That thing inside Toph that had relaxed tightened again, this time with a swimming blend of confusion and excitement and...hope? Perfectly normal feelings for establishing a new friends-with-benefits situation. 

This was good. 

This was what she wanted.

“I’d like that.” she said.

THE END

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And this is the end! Thank you so much for coming on this journey with me. There may or may not be a sequel story, but I always intended this to stand on its own. Please leave me a review and tell me what you thought! Love you all! ~Superster


End file.
